The Sickness
by Starzki
Summary: Alternate Universe. Sousuke Sagara is the long standing bodyguard of Lady Kaname, the only daughter of a wealthy family. She has been married off to a distant cousin in the hopes that she produce an heir and will never be forced to leave her home. No one expected the zombie apocalypse. In time, it's only Sousuke and Kaname fighting for survival and just hoping not to get bitten.
1. This is It: The Apocalypse

Disclaimer: I do not own _Full Metal Panic_ or any of its characters. I am not profiting in any way from writing this fanfiction. _Full Metal Panic!_ is written by Shoji Gatoh and illustrated by Douji Shiki and the anime is produced by Gonzo.

-x-

Author's Note 1: I honestly have no idea why I'm writing this fic except for the idea came to me and wouldn't let me go. A zombie _Full Metal Panic_ fic – what am I thinking? I have pages of notes written for this story and I actually know where it's heading (though I'm sure I'll surprise myself with the details). There aren't a lot of _Full Metal Panic_ Alternate Universes. Generally, I do try to stay away from AUs, both reading them and writing them. But as I said, this one just wouldn't let me go. For the zombie mythology that will be used in this story, major props go out to the following: _Dawn of the Dead_, _World War Z_, _High School of the Dead_, _Left 4 Dead_, _Zombies, Run!_, _Shaun of the Dead_, _Planet Terror_, and _The Walking Dead_. For a girl who's terrified of zombies, I seem to surround myself with them. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**The Sickness**

By Starzki

-z-

**1. This Is It, The Apocalypse**

-z-

**The day it all began** started out like almost every other day.

Things were going according to routine. Sousuke awoke early, around 6:00AM, checked in with the house's perimeter guards via walkie talkie and learned that there were no signs of trouble.

In the hour or so before Lady Kaname Watanabe awoke, Sousuke inspected his weapon cache. He double checked that all of the rifles, hand guns, and shot guns were unloaded with the safeties on, but with ammo available and ready at a moment's notice. The same went for the explosives that lined his weapons closet. Everything was as it should be.

Next, he took the opportunity to clean the guns he had practiced with at the range the day before, his favorites: the Glock 29 handgun and the Steyr SPP semiautomatic. He accomplished this task with his usual quick efficiency.

Sousuke put away all of his weapons but the Glock, which he holstered, then went to the bathroom attached to his small room and washed the cleaning solvent and gun oil from his hands. From that position, he could hear the pipes running water to Kaname's bathroom one room over. She was awake. It was time for Sousuke to go to work.

He was tasked with being with Lady Kaname nearly every moment she was not in her room. And when she was in her room, he was supposed to be in the room just outside her door. He was her personal body guard and had been so since they had been 16 years old.

Lady Kaname was the only child of Shunya Chidori, the heir to the Shou Manufacturing Company that was responsible for creating transportation technologies. Their engineering breakthroughs could be found in anything from cars to airplanes. They were the biggest employer of citizens in Western City and the surrounding areas. The Chidori family was one of the wealthiest in the country and, as such, had many enemies and people who would try to exploit or harm them for a profit.

In fact, Kaname's mother had been murdered in a botched kidnapping attack when Kaname was only 12 years old. Since then, Lord Chidori had turned his estate into a well-defended compound and ensured that Kaname had a personal guard with her whenever possible.

"Good morning, Lady Kaname," greeted Sousuke as his charge left her room and entered his. Her quarters were nearly the entire second story of the main house's East wing. It only was accessible through a guarded staircase that ended in Sousuke's room. From there, he allowed any visitors access to her room personally. There was never really a time that Sousuke wasn't sure where Kaname was or who she was with. It made his job of protecting her that much easier.

Kaname grunted in response to Sousuke. She wasn't mad at him, he knew. She just wasn't a morning person and Wednesday breakfasts with her father were not her favorite. He'd gotten to know her well in the three years, give or take, that he'd been her bodyguard.

"Are you feeling okay, Lady Kaname?" Sousuke asked as they descended the staircase on their way to the small dining room.

Kaname gave Sousuke a sideways glance and answered his question with one of her own. "Why would you ask?"

"You have a doctor's appointment scheduled for later this morning. I wasn't sure if something was wrong. You really need to keep me informed if you're not feeling well. It is my duty to protect you and I can only do that if I can be sure of your capabilities. For example, I wouldn't plan an escape where we would have to run at top speed if I knew that you had a sprained ankle."

"Ugh, idiot," was her answer, but Sousuke could see that she was suppressing a smile and he wasn't exactly sure why. "Yes," she continued with some forced irritability, "I get it. I'm completely fine. It's just a check-up." Kaname's expression changed to one that was more serious. "Yamato reminded me this weekend that I hadn't had one for a while."

"Ah. I wasn't aware that Lord Watanabe was keeping up with your appointments." Sousuke had tried, but he didn't manage to keep the acid out of his voice.

"He's my husband. Of course he cares about my health," said Kaname defensively.

"Of course. I apologize," said Sousuke as they entered the morning room.

Most other mornings during the week, Sousuke and Kaname ate breakfast together in a room just off the kitchen. It was a huge breach of etiquette for the lady of the house to eat with what was essentially a servant, but it made their mornings much less of a production and it gave Sousuke an opportunity to eat. Wednesdays, though, she was to eat with her father in the small dining room without argument.

This Wednesday was no different. Lord Chidori read the newspaper business section and sipped at his coffee. Kaname poked at half of a grapefruit. Sousuke endured the awkward silence by keeping a steady eye on the doorways as well as out the floor-to-ceiling windows lining one wall of the room.

Finally, at what seemed like the appointed time, Lord Chidori set his cup in its saucer and folded the paper and put it aside. Kaname set down her spoon, folded her hands, and kept her eyes on the table. Sousuke braced himself for the usual Wednesday morning lecture.

"Kaname, I hope you realize that I would have done anything for the Shou Company to have passed into your hands. I wanted nothing but financial security for you as well as a way to employ yourself in useful work. Sadly, though, you were not born a boy and the entail under which the company operates states that only males can be legitimate heirs for possession of Shou Manufacturing. It is out of my hands."

Sousuke suppressed his grimace. Lord Chidori started his lecture the same way every time, even that first Wednesday Sousuke had ever accompanied Kaname to breakfast. He wondered if Lord Chidori noticed, or even cared, that Kaname hated any mention of the entail that essentially robbed her of her birthright based on archaic beliefs of gender roles. In the old days she would fume to Sousuke about it, ranting that she wasn't even sure if she even wanted the company if her ancestors were such idiots.

Lord Chidori continued. "Despite not being an heir, you do have a deep responsibility to this family. You have been raised in the finest house in the country and taught by the best teachers I have been able to find. I have not deprived you or treated you any differently than I would have treated a son."

Sousuke wondered at this, too. Kaname was cut off from the world outside of the compound for the most part. She had never gone to school and, as far as he knew, had no real friends her own age. Until he had come along, she had been very alone.

"Your responsibility to this family does not end with your marriage."

Ah, thought Sousuke. Here's the purpose of the lecture this week.

"You were an obstinate child and you resisted this marriage for a long time, yes?"

"Yes father," she answered, not raising her eyes from a point in the table midway between them.

"You are lucky that Yamato was so patient. It is he who is heir to the Shou Company and he did not have to offer to marry you. The moment that I passed away, any wife of his that he had chosen would have, and could have, swept you out of this house, out of the only home you've ever known."

"Yes, father," she answered, her voice dull.

"But you did come to your senses and realized your duty to this family, to me, to remain her and keep up our traditions, as well as the traditions of your new family, in the house that has always been the home of the president of Shou."

Sousuke remembered those arguments well. Back then, Kaname had been more willing to fight with her father. She had been argumentative and stubborn. Inwardly, he had rooted for her in her willingness to throw off their expectations and see what life had to offer elsewhere. But Sousuke knew that his reasons for siding with her back then were purely selfish. He was in love with her, he had been since about twenty minutes after meeting her for the first time. He didn't want to see her in a marriage of convenience to a stranger.

But in the end, Lord Chidori had sent Kaname away to meet and live with Yamato Watanabe and his family. She would learn their traditions, and come to understand the realities she faced if she did not agree to the union. Sousuke had not been invited to go with her. She had been gone for three months. Sousuke wasn't even sure if he would have a job when she returned. She had come home six months ago, a newlywed. Any hope Sousuke had secretly had about being with her as more than a bodyguard dissolved away completely.

"What I can't understand, Kaname, is why your husband does not live with us in the main house. Have you not tried convincing him? You realize that it makes it look like your marriage is a sham or that you two do not represent a united front. We will not have a scandal in this house, young lady. Not while I'm alive!"

"Father," Kaname pinned Lord Chidori with her stare. "Yamato wishes to stay in the small cottage on the North end of the compound. He has not grown up with this much luxury and it will take him time to become accustomed to it and all of our routines. As his wife, I will respect his wishes and see to it that he is happy with me. There will be no scandal, I promise."

Sousuke did not doubt this. Yamato was not someone that Sousuke could imagine being embroiled in any trouble. He was… bland. He was normal height, had a slight-to-medium build, dark hair, gentle eyes, and glasses. He looked like every business man that Sousuke had ever seen.

"It doesn't look good," Lord Chidori finished, but he did not press the issue. Breakfast was over. Sousuke was sure that they would probably hear this lecture again next Wednesday morning, but the status quo with Kaname's relationship with Yamato remained for now.

Sousuke tried not to dislike Yamato. If not for him being married to Kaname, Sousuke would have probably been on friendlier terms with the man. He was unremarkable: quiet, unobtrusive, and polite and kind to Kaname. Sousuke couldn't have wished for a better match for Kaname, really, and with Yamato, she got to stay in her house with everyone she had always known. Furthermore, Sousuke got to remain close to her.

Kaname and Sousuke watched Lord Chidori leave the room and Kaname finally relaxed in her chair, resuming her grapefruit breakfast. Sousuke kept his eyes active. No matter what, he would protect Kaname.

Truthfully, staying close to Lady Kaname was all that Sousuke truly cared about. When they had first met at age 16, Sousuke was a hard young man who had done most of his growing up on the streets of Western City. Kaname had been a fiery, sheltered, demanding girl with a quick temper who had never managed to keep a personal bodyguard around for more than just a few months. Sousuke had fallen for her after she had smacked him with her harisen for wrestling her to the ground when he had mistaken one of the gardeners for a potential kidnapper.

She had more fight and spirit than anyone he had ever known and the job of protecting her with his life was more than a paycheck to him. It was his reason for waking up in the morning. And he had proven his worth by foiling a kidnapping attempt on Kaname mere weeks after being hired. Both Lord Chidori and Kaname had been pleased with his work and he suddenly had more of a home than he had ever known in his life. He would protect it with everything he had.

-z-

Though her days of tutoring and governesses were over, Kaname still loved learning about the outside world, even if she rarely saw it. After breakfast, she led her bodyguard into the house's main library.

Kaname read. Sousuke radioed the head guard at the gates and asked for a status report. Everything was nominal.

Everything was quiet.

-z-

At the appointed time, Sousuke reminded Kaname of her doctor's appointment. She seemed more thoughtful than usual to him, but he didn't press the issue. Before she had been sent away, they'd had a close relationship where she had confided in him. She had taught him, learned from him, teased him, and even had flirted a little. They'd had a strong connection that was now muted. Maybe it was gone. In any case, Sousuke didn't have the right to demand she share her thoughts with him.

Sousuke talked to the driver about the route to the doctor's office. Kaname huffed from the back of the car, annoyed at the delay and show of thoroughness, but Sousuke wanted absolutely no surprises.

The trip to the doctor's office was only five minutes long. Kaname rolled the window down.

"It's amazing how warm it is out," said Kaname. She was right, the mid-February day seemed almost balmy after the recent frozen weather. "I hope it sticks around."

-z-

Sousuke stood at attention on the other side of the exam room door, ever vigilant. Sousuke figured that a large percentage of his recent life could be described as waiting on the other side of the door for Kaname to finish what she was doing.

It could be worse than just waiting for Kaname to finish a physical exam.

In the past six months, about once a week, he'd endured admitting Yamato to Kaname's room at night after dinner. He would never abandon his post, so, in those moments, he would do whatever he could to distract himself from the reality of what was going on with her and Yamato behind closed doors.

However, even though the walls between their rooms were made intentionally thin so that Kaname's bodyguard would be able to tell if something was happening to her, Sousuke never heard the smallest sound from the couple during these nights.

It was his own personal Hell, but the alternative, quitting, leaving her, was completely unthinkable.

Kaname emerged from the exam room holding a large bottle of pills. She let out a shaky sigh and ran her fingers through her hair in a gesture that Sousuke immediately recognized as extreme nervousness from Kaname.

This immediately put Sousuke on edge. She was so rarely nervous. Something must have happened.

"Is everything all right, Lady Kaname?" Sousuke asked, unholstering his firearm, ready to push the door open once again and confront whatever danger was there.

"Sousuke, wait!" Kaname said, grabbing his arm, halting his progression. "I'm completely fine. Really."

Sousuke looked at the pills and back at Kaname questioningly. She huffed a laugh and stuffed them into her purse. "Just vitamins."

Sousuke peered carefully into Kaname's eyes, searching for signs she was reassuring him under duress, that someone else had threatened her into placating him. He saw nothing like that.

In fact, Kaname was giving him the happiest smile he'd seen on her face in months. It was like he was looking at the old Kaname. The one who wasn't married and burdened so much by duty to her family. Something loosened between Sousuke's shoulder blades and suddenly that connection between them was back.

Kaname dropped her hand from Sousuke's arm and looked around self-consciously. She recomposed herself and their moment ended. But it had been there. Sousuke was hopeful it would someday be there again. He knew he could never be with Kaname in the way he wanted. She was of a rich, prominent family with ties to royalty. He was no one: a servant. It could never be.

But he could be with her, and that was enough for Sousuke. For her, he could endure anything.

-z-

The rest of the day followed the normal routine. They spent time in the garden so Kaname could take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather. Sousuke's regular checks to the guards on the perimeter were all normal and quiet.

The late afternoon took Sousuke and Kaname to the house's kitchen. Kaname loved cooking. Though her father disliked that she found an interest where she socialized more with the servants than with the other prominent families in the area, she still spent every afternoon learning about food and helping the staff put together dinners for the family and any guests they had.

It was also the one time of the day that Kaname and Sousuke were separated. All entrances to the kitchen were well guarded and the art of cooking never appealed to Sousuke. He would instead take those hours to go down to the gun range for target practice, exercise, eat, help plan or make changes to the security protocols, and shower and change for the evening.

Sousuke shouldered on his nicer dinner jacket. He would not be sitting for dinner, but Lord Chidori liked all staff, even the bodyguards, to dress for dinner. Sousuke figured that Chidori was trying to make dinner seem as normal as possible for everyone there.

Sousuke knocked on Kaname's door. "Are you ready?"

"Just a minute."

"Who's coming to dinner?" Sousuke asked to make conversation. A small part of him was hoping that she would open up the door and smile at him like she had done earlier.

"Father will be there, of course. And Yamato and his mother. Just family, really." She opened the door in her favorite dinner dress, the simple blue one that complimented her curves. It never failed to render him speechless.

"Shall we, then?" Kaname asked.

-z-

The day it all began had been like most other days in the Chidori compound. The change came at dinner.

As soon as everyone was seated, Kaname cleared her throat.

"Excuse me everyone. I have an announcement to make."

Kaname had their undivided attention. She took a deep breath and broke into another ecstatic smile.

"Well, I don't know how else to tell everyone this, but to just say it out loud. I'm pregnant. Yamato and I will be having a baby."

After a moment to process what she said, the dining room was suddenly filled with happy cheers and congratulations for the expectant mother.

Sousuke was surprised that his first reaction was to be elated for Kaname. She would be such an excellent mother and the fact that she was so happy at the news meant that this was a huge blessing within the house.

"How far along are you, child," Lady Watanabe asked.

"Seven weeks. Dr. Ishii said that my due date is September 3rd."

"Oh, darling, this makes me so happy," said Yamato, visibly pleased. He also looked relieved, like the weight of the world was off of his shoulders.

"I'm happy, too, Yamato."

"Congratulations, Kaname, dear," joined Lord Chidori. "With luck, this child will be a boy and the Shou company's future will be ensured for many years to come.

"Yes father."

Sousuke didn't know why, but at that comment from Lord Chidori, he immediately wished that Kaname's baby would be a girl. A little girl with her mother's beauty, wit, and temper who would never let something like a stupid entail on the family business keep her down. A little girl just like her mother.

Everyone had stood up and gathered around Kaname asking questions and embracing her. She held them off a little and begged to be excused for a moment. She needed to use the facilities.

Kaname turned to Sousuke, "That okay?"

"It's not a problem." Sousuke didn't miss the frown from Lord Chidori at the slip of etiquette at the informal response, but everyone was still too giddy at the news to pay it much mind.

The two left the dining room, through the East, seldomly-used door that led to both a bathroom and a small patio that had been in disrepair through the winter months. Sousuke trailed Kaname closely.

Once in the hallway, Kaname spun on Sousuke and began giggling. She then launched herself at Sousuke, throwing her arms around his neck in her glee.

"Can you believe it, Sousuke? I'm really going to have a baby!"

"Why didn't you tell me before, at the doctor's office?" He couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. Again, like before, it was their same old easy connection.

"I wanted to tell everyone at the same time." She took a step back and studied his face. "You're really happy for me?"

"Of course. You are… your happiness is important to me. And seeing you like this is all I ever want for you."

"Sousuke," Kaname's smile slipped a notch. "I know it's weird. But I think things will get a lot more… normal… once the baby's born."

Sousuke didn't know what to make of that comment, but accepted it anyway. A child living in this house would be a wonderful thing.

"I'm glad you're happy for me," Kaname said. "Let's go back in and have a nice dinner for once."

Sousuke nodded, pleased when she held his gaze with a twinkling eye a touch longer than she had to. He opened the dining room door for her.

They entered to a scene of some confusion. Apparently Kiku, one of the kitchen maids, had stumbled into the dining room and collapsed, coughing violently. She had a large wound on her upper arm that had been bleeding quite badly. The wound radiated both dark red and green striations the likes of which Sousuke had never seen, and he had seen his fair share of injuries as a boy.

"Kiku?" said Kaname as she stepped forward to tend the girl she knew from the kitchen. Sousuke caught her arm and forced her behind him while he radioed the perimeter.

"Sousuke, stop. We have to help Kiku!"

After a brief moment of static, Sousuke could hear the voice of the head guard, Abe. "We've got this under control, Sagara."

Lord Chidori, also being shielded by his bodyguard barked at Kaname, "Listen to Sousuke."

"What exactly is going on?" Sousuke asked into the walkie's receiver.

Yamato had run to the girl and helped her hunch over so that she wouldn't aspirate the blood that was now resulting from her unremitting coughs. Kiku looked up wildly, her eyes so bloodshot they were almost black. Her hacking gave way to violent convulsions that flipped her onto her back like a dying fish.

Kaname screamed and Sousuke did what he could to keep her from running to the girl while he assessed the situation, unholstering his gun. The voice from the radio squawked "Some villager was sick and asking for help. We've called the doctor."

Lady Watanabe was crying and making her way to the door, too upset to witness the situation further. Kiku kept convulsing until she came to a sudden stop. Sousuke yelled to Yamato's mother that she should stay in the room, but she waved him off.

"Kiku?" asked Yamato, his fingers searching her neck for a pulse. "Kiku, are you okay?" Yamato looked to Lord Chidori. "I can't find a pulse! We have to call a doctor!"

The walkie in Sousuke's hand crackled to life. "Oh God. He woke back up. Something's wrong! We'll have to call the police!"

"Don't panic and use the proper channel, Abe," ordered Sousuke, his attention moving between Kiku's body and the door.

Lord Chidori's bodyguard made for the phone in the hallway. Kaname was crying softly behind Sousuke, her hands fisted in the back of his dinner jacket. He could feel her trembling. What was going on?

"Is she dead?" Kaname finally asked.

"Yes, I think so," Yamato answered.

As if to object, Kiku suddenly gave a low moan, causing everyone in the room to gasp.

The radio came to life again, "Oh God. Oh God! Don't—" was all Abe said before the transmission died once again.

"She's okay?" Kaname asked, her voice small, but hopeful.

"Maybe," answered Yamato. He leaned his ear down to listen for her breath.

"Yamato! Step away from her!" Sousuke trained his gun on the South door.

In that moment, Kiku's bloodshot eyes sprung open and she gave an inhuman screech. Then, her arms shot up and she grabbed Yamato's head.

Sousuke could hear the click of her teeth when she tore into the flesh of Yamato's neck. It was in that moment that Sousuke knew that life as he had known it was over forever.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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AN2: I have notes, mood music, and my thoughts on writing this chapter available over on Dreamwidth or Livejournal if you look under the tag "The Sickness." Thanks for reading! Let me know if you liked it!


	2. You've Arrived at Panic Station

**The Sickness**

By Starzki

-x-

**2. You've Arrived at Panic Station**

-z-

Kiku flung Yamato off of her. Arterial blood arced and splattered all around him. The only sound from Yamato was a soft gurgling that became muffled as he fell to the floor, clutching at what remained of his neck. Sousuke stepped backward, pushing Kaname further toward the wall. He could hear her breath coming in short, too-fast gasps. He was afraid she was either going to scream or pass out and he hoped that she would be strong enough so that he didn't fall into panic, himself.

Kiku rose to her feet in a jerky fashion. She was _chewing_ the hunk of flesh that used to be Yamato's neck as blood and gore coursed down her chin. Sousuke concentrated on just protecting Kaname in a supreme effort to quell his nausea.

"What's happening?" squeaked Kaname.

"I don't know. Just stay behind me. You too, Lord Chidori." The older man obeyed, not taking his eyes off of the slowly approaching kitchen maid.

Blood from Yamato now stained the collar of her crisp, white apron. Her expression was blank, completely slack but for her working jaw snapping her teeth together. Kiku raised her arms out in front of her, fingers reaching out as she took one small, stilted step after another. Another low, agonized moan escaped her lips, sending chills down Sousuke's spine.

"What are you going to do?" Kaname whispered. Sousuke could feel her breath on his neck.

"We're going to get out of here."

Kiku lurched toward them, effectively cutting them off from both exits. Sousuke leveled his gun at her.

"Stop now!" he ordered her. She tilted her head at the sound of her voice and only began closing the distance between them more quickly.

"Stop or I'll shoot!"

"Sousuke, no!" breathed Kaname.

"She _killed_ Yamato!" Yamato still lay in a large pool of blood, eyes rolled back in his head. He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. Nothing could be done for the man now.

"He's right, Kaname. Do what you have to do, Sousuke," said Lord Chidori

With Kiku's fingers only inches away, Sousuke pulled the trigger. Three shots, tightly clustered, hit Kiku directly in the center of her chest and she staggered back a few steps from the force of the impact. Sousuke expected her to crumble to the floor, but instead, she just moaned again and began walking toward the trio once more.

"Dear God!" was Lord Chidori's response. Kaname only whimpered.

Sousuke was at a loss. Kiku should be down. He'd had to kill people before. It was never anything he relished, but it was a part of his job, a part of his life, and he knew how to do it well. Something different was going on and Sousuke knew he had to rely on his instincts to save his own life as well as Kaname's and her father's.

Well, if bullets in the heart wouldn't stop Kiku, Sousuke's only other option was a bullet to her brain. He squeezed the trigger again and shot her through the eye. This time she did fall. This time she stayed down for good.

Sousuke checked his radio again. All he heard was screaming.

With an eye on both doors to the room, Sousuke gathered Kaname and Lord Chidori in front of him. "I don't know what's going on. Therefore, we're going to treat this like a siege on the house. Protocol dictates we go to the safe room. East Wing upstairs is the closest. Stay with me. Nothing else matters right now but to get the two of you out of harm's way."

Both nodded at Sousuke, only to whip around when they heard another low moan. This time, though, it was coming from Yamato, not Kiku.

"Oh God," breathed Kaname, her eyes wide in horror as she watched Yamato struggle to sit up. His head bobbled and finally came to a rest on his left shoulder because the mangled muscles resulting from Kiku's sharp teeth wouldn't allow him to hold his head up straight. He moaned again and struggled to his feet.

"We run. Now!" ordered Sousuke, leading the way to the nearer door that could take them to the East Wing. He held onto Kaname's wrist, unsure if the shock of what was going on would immobilize her. She stumbled at first, but could keep up. He could feel her rapid, thready pulse beneath his fingertips.

Lord Chidori stayed directly behind Sousuke, following protocol to the letter.

"Just where is Ichise?" growled Lord Chidori. His bodyguard should have been back by now. Sousuke mentally prepared himself for the worst.

After opening the door to the hallway, Sousuke froze.

He had seen awful things before. He'd survived horrors and been followed closely by Death ever since he was just a little boy. If anyone was prepared for what was next, Sousuke knew that he was. But he could have never imagined anything like the scene before him as he opened the door to the main hall.

Blood was everywhere. It stained the carpeting and spattered the walls. The smell of it, rust and salt, assaulted Sousuke's senses. There was a near constant groaning and crying from all around him. At least four bodies lay sprawled out on the floor to his right and the door blocked his view to the left. Between one and three people were hunched over each body and it took Sousuke a moment to realize that they were all _eating_ the people laying there. Panic rose in Sousuke's throat as he watched people he knew being torn apart with teeth and fingers.

Kaname's free hand shot up to her mouth, clamping it over it firmly to prevent her own scream. Lord Chidori only gasped.

Sousuke quickly recognized two of the fallen figures as Ichise, Lord Chidori's bodyguard, and Lady Watanabe. The creatures were unknown to Sousuke, but they weren't dressed as visitors to the Chidori compound usually were. They wore more casual clothes, similar in style to the latest fashions of Western City and the village just beyond the compound gates.

"Sousuke!" Kaname hissed, startled. "Yamato… is coming after us!" Out of the corner of his eye, Sousuke saw it was true. Yamato was lurching in their direction, head lolling on his neck, arms outstretched. There was no mistaking that the man was dead, but still able to move.

"Lord Chidori, run directly in front of me and make your way to the main staircase. Give those things a wide berth. I will follow you. Stop if I tell you to. Kaname, you stay directly behind me, understand?" Sousuke needed to be close to both of his charges if they were going to make it to the staircase alive.

Lord Chidori bolted down the hallway with Sousuke and Kaname in quick pursuit. The creatures—they were people once, but they all had the same slack expression Kiku did, the same gnashing teeth and dead eyes—looked up at the sound of the trio's footsteps. A few made lunges at their legs and ankles, but Sousuke put a bullet between the eyes of each one who tried. Kaname startled and gasped at every gunshot, but she kept up admirably.

Sousuke heard shots up ahead. It both comforted him and made him nervous. There were still guards alive and fighting, but there was chaos ahead, too.

At the doorway to the main hall staircase, Sousuke halted a bit to change the magazine in his gun. He had three bullets left, but wanted a fresh clip just in case. He moved ahead of Lord Chidori and peeked through the doorway.

It was worse than he thought.

Sousuke wasn't sure how, but the house had become littered with stumbling, obviously dead creatures. Some of them he began to recognize as kitchen staff. Whatever this intrusion was, it seemed to have started at the kitchen at first, even though he only heard the first peep of trouble from the main gate.

Sousuke swiveled his gun at movement to his left and saw a fellow guard firing on a group of creatures that were closing in on him. He was also favoring his left shoulder where Sousuke could see a spreading stain. Familiar dark red and green striations climbed his neck.

"Takashi! You're injured! What's going on?"

"Sagara!" Sousuke entered the hall, glad to see that Lord Chidori and Kaname stayed close, both of them following the protocol set out and practiced at least once a year.

"Takashi, what' is going on here?" Sousuke roared, masking his fear with anger.

"Don't know. It was just some sick villagers."

"You're supposed to report in any potential threats!"

"These didn't seem like threats! But then they started dying and we concentrated on finding help. Then, I don't know what happened! They're dead and they're walking around and it _makes no damned sense_!" In fact, a group of four creatures were creeping in on Takashi while another five were trying to surround Sousuke's trio. "And these fuckers _won't go down_!"

"Aim for the head, Takashi!"

He did so and each retort of the four shots he fired was followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor. Takashi then crumbled in a fit of coughing. He glanced back up with bloodshot eyes.

"I'm bit, Sagara. From what I can see, one bite kills you, even if it's not a fatal wound. Then you come back as one of _these_."

Sousuke kept his gun trained on the nearest creature. "You'll be fine, Takashi," he said. "We just need to barricade…"

Sousuke was interrupted by another gunshot. Takashi fell to the floor. He had put his gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger. Takashi's blood and brains splattered over the white carpet of the bottom stair of the grand staircase.

This time, Kaname did scream. Loudly and long. They hadn't expected his suicide and Sousuke knew that Kaname was at her breaking point. She had to be, given the fact that Sousuke was quickly reaching his own.

Lord Chidori grabbed Kaname by her shoulders and gave her a shake. "Quiet, girl!" he hissed. "You'll bring from all over the house!" This quelled her scream, but her eyes still held the terrorized look of a wounded animal.

Sousuke fired off two shots into the closest zombie, felling him. More kept showing up and two were already on the staircase. They had moments until they would be overtaken.

"Chidori!" Sousuke yelled. "You go up the stairs first. I'll cover you and bring up Kaname with me!"

"Got it," he answered before hurtling himself up the stairs without hesitation. Sousuke used three bullets to take down the shamblers on the stairs, concentrating on not getting Lord Chidori caught in the crossfire.

"Sousuke! Behind you!" yelled Kaname just as Sousuke felt strong fingers grab hold of his jacket. He couldn't whirl on it. He couldn't think of a way he could fight back.

Kaname lunged at the creature pushing it with everything she had. Sousuke felt more than heard the click of its teeth a mere hair's breadth away from his ear before it started falling backward with the force of Kaname's push. It still had Sousuke's jacket, so he wriggled out of it as fast as he could, switching his gun from one hand to another. Then he spun, fired, killing it, before taking out the nearest three creatures to him and Kaname with three more bullets.

"Don't you _ever_ do that again," he gritted out through clenched teeth as he grabbed her wrist once more and they ran up the stairs after Kaname's father.

"You're welcome," she responded, voice raw and hurt. He knew she had a point, but it had been way too close to grasping at _her_ rather than hanging onto Sousuke's jacket. He couldn't be so sloppy if they were going to survive.

They turned into the East wing, Lord Chidori motioning for them to hurry up and enter Sousuke's room, signaling, in his own way, that it was clear. At the back wall of Sousuke's room, Sousuke found the keypad to the safe room. He punched the number that only four people in the house knew, and the reinforced steel door clanged open.

The three entered and locked the door, and the carnage, behind them.

-z-

Sousuke watched Lord Chidori repeat himself into the phone's receiver from his end of the desk in the safe room's command center. It seemed as though the older man was having as little luck getting any information from those in control at Shou Manufacturing as Sousuke was from any of the guards here at the compound.

"So you're saying that people were just showing up sick? Then they started attacking people?" he repeated for the fourth time. Lord Chidori looked to Sousuke, "Why hadn't we heard anything about this before this evening?"

Sousuke could only shake his head before changing the channel on the walkie talkie and calling out for a response from someone, anyone still able to speak to him.

It had only been two hours since they had made it to the safe room and they were no closer to figuring out what was going on. Everything had just happened too quickly. From what Sousuke was able to put together, villagers had come to various entrances complaining of being sick and needing help. They would collapse, then revive and start attacking people. These people in turn would be killed outright, as Yamato had, or else they, too, would become sick. Everyone bitten would then revive. It was like the spreading of some kind of infection that created violence. As far as he could tell, Sousuke thought that of everyone in the house, only he, Lord Chidori, and Kaname had escaped infection.

Sousuke also monitored the images from closed circuit cameras that had been installed in various points in the mansion. He mashed keys and turned dials to watch the bitten die and the infected roam the halls, searching for any survivors to devour. He kept a careful eye on the footage from the camera just outside the safe room door for any infected who followed them up the stairs and wished he had had the foresight to install more cameras not only in the house, but in the rest of the compound as well. He needed to know the extent of whatever it was that was going on.

"Hello?" squawked the radio in Sousuke's hand. "Anyone there?"

"Yes! This is Sagara! Who is this? Over."

"Yuki. There's a group of five of us barricaded in the South tower. Those… _things_… are trying to break in. But we've managed to hold them off. Ammo supplies are low. We don't think we'll make it to the main house. Over."

"Save as much ammo as you can. Headshots will take these things down. Don't waste any bullets otherwise. Over."

"Roger that. We've learned as much. What should we do, Sagara? There's about a dozen outside the door and we're not sure if the structure will hold up much longer. The only other exit will take us out of the compound. Over."

The walkie was snatched from Sousuke's hand, "This is Shunya Chidori, Yuki. My daughter and I are safe. Are any of you bitten?"

After a moment, the reply came. "No. We're clean. Over."

"Good. You do not have to come to the main house. If you can escape the tower and find better shelter, do it. If you have families, try to go to them. You are under no obligation to remain on the compound. Your lives and the lives of your families are what are important now. Do what you have to do to survive. I thank you for your service to me and my family."

Again, there was another long pause before the speaker crackled back to life. "Roger. I think we can make it out of here. Thank you, Lord Chidori. Over and out."

Sousuke had wanted to argue, but then saw the logic behind Lord Chidori's command. The five survivors probably would not have made it to the main house unbitten as it was now practically swarming with infected villagers, servants, and guards. Having them leave gave them a shot at surviving, as well as ensuring there would be five less infected in the compound for them to deal with later.

Sousuke heard the door to Kaname's bedroom open. She had locked herself in there moments after they had entered the safe room. Her soft eyes were large with shock, but they were dry. Sousuke could see her trembling still, but that was to be expected with the recent events. She cleared her throat.

"Umm. You should see this.

-z-

The nervous-looking news anchor didn't have much news to share. The only thing that she was able to confirm was the fact that the infected _did_ truly die before they came back to life as shambling, violent aggressors who seemed intent on spreading whatever sickness they had to everyone still living.

"Holy shit," breathed Kaname at the news. "All those people. They're all dying. They're dead." Her words didn't rise above a harsh whisper, but Sousuke could see that she was struggling. Lord Chidori seemed to be processing, too, as he sat on the edge of the bed staring into the 15 inch television with his head in his hands.

Sousuke didn't figure he had the luxury of trying to figure out how or why things had changed so dramatically in the last few hours. He had to stay alive. Fear and panic had made him weak earlier and now was no time for weaknesses. He had to protect Kaname and her father. He had to act and react based on what he knew about this riskier world. Something inside of him realigned and shifted as he slipped into Survival Mode, wearing the attitude like an old coat of armor that had served him well in the past.

The safe room would hold out, he knew. The doors were solid and would stand up to even a bombing. They had enough provisions for four people to survive a week, a working toilet and shower hooked up to an independent well system on the Chidori compound, and enough beds and bedding to be comfortable in their stay.

Now, it was time to wait and gather information in order to increase their chances of survival when they did have to leave.

-z-

Sousuke checked his protective gear for the third time as he prepared to make another supply run around the mansion. They were getting low on food again.

He had initially planned on staying in the safe house no longer than a week. But that week stretched out again and again because that room was the only guaranteed safe part of the mansion. Other doors were too weak to withstand an onslaught of motivated infected wanting entry.

Kaname fiddled with the dials of the radio, finding their favorite station that shared the latest news on how to survive.

After the third day, they no longer got their information from the television. It wasn't because the information was bad, but Sousuke didn't want to risk Kaname seeing another bloodbath as the infected took out one station after another, live and in too much color. After Channel Three fell, Kaname cried for nearly an entire day. Combined with mourning her husband, the servants and guards, and everyone she'd ever known, plus the extra pregnancy hormones, watching the infected attack and kill innocent people on television was too much for Kaname to take.

Instead, they listened to the radio. The reporters checking in all compiled their information and every hour, on the hour, they repeated everything they had been able to completely verify in order to help any survivors stay alive.

Kaname found the station and turned up the volume. She didn't make eye contact with Sousuke. She didn't like it when he made these runs and they had fought over it on more than one occasion. She wanted stricter rationing to make the food they did have last longer. But Sousuke knew she needed sustenance to keep her healthy during her pregnancy, so he went at least twice a week despite her objections.

As the radio operators geared up to recite the information necessary to survive, Sousuke took a deep breath and prepared himself for what he had to do.

He was so familiar with "The List," he only half listened to the first one as he checked the monitor from the camera outside of the safe room:

_First: The infected are dead. One bite that breaks the skin will spread the sickness to the new host. The sickness will kill them and turn them into one of the walking dead. There are no exceptions._

When the door opened, Sousuke could quickly verify Fact One. The stench in the rest of the house was stomach-turning and had only gotten worse in the past four weeks since the evening it all began. He had done what he could to clear the bodies of those he had killed near the safe room, but the other wandering infected managed to stir up the stink anew whenever they made it up the stairs.

Sousuke peeked out into his room, looking for any sign of movement, as he made his way, as always, to his weapons cache. He continued mentally continued "The List" on his own.

_Second: Only humans can spread the disease. Though the infected often attack animals in their path, those animals that are bitten and survive will not carry the infection on their own._

Sousuke was glad for this. Kaname had once told him that her family had bred prize hounds, but because her mother had been severely allergic, Lord Chidori stopped the practice.

Kaname had no pet to fall victim to the hunger of the infected and Sousuke was grateful for this small mercy because he was certain he wouldn't have been able to save any animal in the house that first evening where he had barely escaped with his own life.

Sousuke did an inventory on his weapons and available ammo. Everything was in working order and he had plenty of ammo left. He opted for an extended police baton and his M16 rifle for this small mission.

_Third: Only trauma that damages the brain will kill an infected. They do not breathe. Their hearts do not beat. It is the brain that is infected, that allows the dead to move. Damage the skull, damage the brain, and the infected will die._

Sousuke was glad that this was something he had figured out relatively quickly. It was always a violent death for the infected and it was hard for Sousuke to have to kill those he had worked alongside for the past three years. But he had to stay alive. He had to continue to protect Kaname.

_Fourth: Symptoms of someone who has been bitten are easy to track. First, the wound exhibits a unique striation pattern alternating red and green tendrils emanating from the wound. Then, the victim develops a severe cough and bloodshot eyes. The time between sickness and death varies by individuals, though none has lasted longer than 30 minutes. After death, reanimation tends to occur between one and fifteen minutes. If no brain trauma occurs, a person dying from the infection __**will**__ reanimate as one of the walking dead._

From the news reports, it seemed to Sousuke as though the fast incubation period before death, along with how quickly people reanimated after death both contributed to how quickly the infection spread. No one knew what was happening until it was right in front of them. Even then, they didn't believe what they were seeing, that people were dying from non-fatal bite wounds, then coming back to life to attack others.

As had happened in the Chidori compound, Western City, and all across the country, people didn't understand how deadly serious the situation was until it was too late. While the news reports were still sketchy with exact numbers, it had been estimated that only between 5% and 10% of the population remained uninfected.

_Fifth: Any body part still connected to the brain will continue to work. An infected without legs will crawl. An infected who has been beheaded is still a danger because can still bite anyone in range._

Sousuke could attest to that. After the first day he had left the safe room, only two days after Kiku had interrupted dinner, Sousuke had made his way to Kaname's room to get her some fresh clothes and her prenatal vitamins. She had tried to argue against his going, but Lord Chidori had insisted and Sousuke wanted to do everything he could to preserve Kaname's pregnancy. They were lucky so far that her first trimester had been easy, with minimal morning sickness, but Sousuke wanted to take as few chances as possible with her health.

He had shot an infected on the staircase with his shotgun, taking it out at the knees. It had been a bad idea. He had only turned a shambler into a crawler, which was far less likely to be in his immediate line of vision. In later days, as Sousuke branched out from the safe room, he'd learned to despise crawlers because they grabbed at your ankles from around corners and from under tables. More than one, probably crippled previously by the mansion's guards, had gotten almost close enough to bite him.

Six_th: Infected cannot speak or run. They have a distinctive moan, but they cannot speak in words. Anyone who can speak is not an aggressive infected. Infected will not gain speed faster than a walk._

Sousuke sent out a silent "thank you" for the fact that the infected were often ill-equipped hunters. They weren't fast, thought they were preternaturally strong. They also tended to announce themselves with their moaning.

Sousuke watched a group of infected from the top of the stairs. They weren't very good at climbing stairs, so he had time to observe. It seemed as though their moaning signaled other infected to their location.

_Seventh: Experience shows that infected tend to group together._

Groups of infected were far, far more dangerous than encountering any of them on their own and Sousuke always made an effort to steer clear of groups larger than five. While they weren't quick, they were persistent and in the time it took to take out four, the fifth one could be on you.

There were seven at the bottom of the stairs and Sousuke wanted to try to make it to the kitchen to find more food. Though he hated using firearms against the infected, he shouldered his M16 and sent a bullet through the head of each creature gathered below him. He did his best not to recognize the faces of those he killed.

_Eighth: Infected respond most to sound. They cannot see well and most reports state they are blind. Loud noises, especially high-pitched noises, attracted the infected. Therefore, silence is a major key to survival._

The gunshots would mean that more infected would come. Sousuke knew he would have to be fast to make it back up to the safe room before another large group of infected gathered and attempted to climb the stairs.

He stealthily crept through the halls and gripped his baton while making sure his canvas bag was shouldered and out of his way. Any confrontation from here on would be as quiet as he could make it.

Sousuke checked the main hall to the kitchen. Three infected, spread far apart. Sousuke inched past the first one and it didn't take any notice of him. The second one seemed to hear a footfall, so it started in Sousuke's direction before he poked his baton straight into the creature's chest, forcing it to stumble backward. Finally, he held his breath as he passed the third infected.

His keen glance into the kitchen didn't pick up any movement, so he entered and made his way to the larder.

_Ninth: Infected can only walk in straight lines. They only change course when they hear something that draws their attention and makes them turn._

As far Sousuke could tell, the infected were always on the move. Though blind, they would bump into a wall, or bump into one another and merely redirect their course. Like the moaning, this made them much easier to keep up with.

In the past four weeks, Sousuke had managed to barricade all entrances into the house. Therefore, the number of infected dwindled every time he killed one of them and the process got easier every day.

Sousuke wished fervently that he, Lord Chidori, and Kaname could just wait the whole thing out in the mansion, once he finally got it cleared, but that looked less and less likely as days passed.

Sousuke opened the cabinet and saw that food rations were depressingly low. Most of the perishable food was long rotted and they were quickly depleting the canned and cured foods that were still good to eat.

Sousuke slipped the last of the larder's contents into the canvas bag he carried and knew they would have to face the inevitable.

The three of them were going to have to leave the mansion soon. With that thought, Sousuke reminded himself of the final fact on "The List."

_Tenth: There is no known cure for anyone bitten by an infected. Everyone bitten will die. The only release from infection is permanent death._

TO BE CONTINUTED…

* * *

Author's Note: Please let me know how you like this story! Notes for this chapter can be found through my Dreamwidth or LiveJournal accounts.


	3. I Can't Always Be Around

**The Sickness**

By Starzki

-x-

**3. You Must Learn to Stand Up for Yourself 'Cause I Can't Always Be Around**

-z-

Sousuke had expected, with the remaining food available in the house, they would have to leave in about a week. Yet he had discovered that the previous month's confinement to just a few rooms of the house had taken a toll on both Kaname's and Lord Chidori's physical fitness.

Therefore, they had undergone some strict rationing and Sousuke had run a kind of boot camp to prepare for life outside of the mansion's walls. The three stretched and did push-ups and deep knee bends in order to build up their muscles. They also took turns with Sousuke's jump rope to build up the stamina they would need in the coming weeks or months ahead. Finally, they worked with weapons.

Cracking a skull is not easy work. Sousuke instructed them to aim for the thinnest part of the cranium, the temple, to do the most damage with the least effort. He pulled a punching back to the safe room for Kaname and Lord Chidori to practice.

Kaname favored using her old softball bat. She had played on a local team back before her mother died and her father had locked down the whole house. Sousuke was pleased to see that she still had some of her old swing left. In the years before she had gotten married, Sousuke used to train her in self-defense techniques and was always pleasantly surprised at how adept and strong she was.

Both Sousuke and Lord Chidori kept an eye on Kaname during workouts, though. Any time it seemed she was overexerting herself, they stopped and took a break. She never complained during the workout or when they made her stop. They all wanted the best outcome and her continued healthy pregnancy, now going into its third month, was of the utmost importance.

While Kaname had her softball bat and Sousuke intended to continue to use his baton as his "quiet" weapon against the infected, Lord Chidori had sent Sousuke to bring him the family's ceremonial katana. It had been passed down through the family for hundreds of years and it was well taken care of. It still had a razor sharp edge and had seen many battles in medieval times.

Sousuke tried to talk Lord Chidori away from this weapon of choice. The katana was a good sword, and was strong, but even the sharpest katana would dull quickly when used on hard bones like skulls. Furthermore, though Lord Chidori did show some proficiency with the sword, Sousuke didn't trust it would be the best weapon for him.

It didn't matter. Lord Chidori had made up his mind, so Sousuke did what he could to help the man train for the battles that were sure to come.

Along with gathering "quiet" weapons for them, Sousuke also prepared his arsenal for them to carry. He wanted as many options as he could possibly have to defeat any incoming infected. Furthermore, he knew that firearms would be coveted by every living person they might come across, so they could be traded for food, water, or other necessities.

Sousuke had decided that he would be taking two Glock 29s and his M16 assault rifle as his main weapons, loading up with as much ammo as he could carry for them.

Lord Chidori opted for Sousuke's Smith and Wesson .38 Special revolver and he would also be carrying a Remington 700 hunting rifle with a scope in case Sousuke needed to shoot long-range.

Kaname didn't like guns and never had. Sousuke had taken her to the range a couple of times when they were 17 years old, but she had hated how loud they were and the violent kick in her hands whenever she tried to fire. She didn't want to carry a handgun and Sousuke didn't think that she should carry one of the heavier rifles in case they had to run. He couldn't risk her straining herself.

In actuality, they were flying a little blind when it came to Kaname's pregnancy. After the first visit when she had gotten the vitamins, there obviously hadn't been any way to get her to the doctor again so that she could ask any questions that came up. Phone lines went dead mere days after the initial outbreak of the infected and no one on the radio frequencies knew of any surviving doctors.

Lord Chidori only remembered a few details about Kaname's mother's pregnancy and wasn't much further help. In order not to jinx herself, Kaname hadn't done any reading or research on pregnancy, either, but she knew she had to keep up with her nutrition and religiously took the prescription vitamins her doctor had given her. Luckily, she had enough to last her through the rest of her pregnancy. Sousuke hoped that, after they left the mansion, they would run into a doctor or at least come across a bookstore that might have information they needed.

Finally, the day came in late March that all were agreed that they would leave the safe room, the mansion, and strike out on their own the next day.

That night, after Kaname had gone to sleep early (fatigue was her main pregnancy complaint), Sousuke sat down and double- and triple-checked the firearms and the provisions he had packed for everyone. They all had some changes of clothes, energy bars from his own personal stash, water bottles, extra ammo clips, a first aid kit, and a small, battery operated radio. Kaname had her vitamins. Everything had to be lightweight because the sunny, warm weather had persisted through the weeks. It was a shame, really, because colder weather would probably slow down the infected.

Sousuke heard some rustling from the control room. He followed the noises and found Lord Chidori watching the monitors for what was going on in his house. The rest of the city had lost power, but the mansion's generator was Shou technology and could probably run for many months to come.

Lord Chidori noticed Sousuke in the doorway and motioned him in. He had found the whiskey and poured a glass for Sousuke as he sat.

"They just keep coming," he said, gesturing toward the screen at an infected bumping into a wall in the main hallway."

"Yes sir. I've blockaded most of the entrances, but they're strong and persistent. They find a way in." Sousuke suspected the sound of the generator attracted them like moths to the flame.

The two sat in silence for long minutes as Lord Chidori drained one glass, then refilled it, frowning at its contents. His gaze returned to the monitors and he shook his head slowly.

"It's all gone, isn't it?"

Pulled from his own thoughts, Sousuke didn't understand the question. "Sir?"

The older man turned to Sousuke slowly with a wry smile. "That's just it. 'Sir.' Who am I now? My name doesn't matter. There isn't going to be any more 'Yes sir," or "No sir," for me."

Sousuke felt his eyebrows drawing together in confusion and Lord Chidori laughed at Sousuke's expression.

"You're a good boy, Sousuke. A good young man. Kalinin was right to recommend you. Hiring you might have been the best decision I've ever made in my whole life."

"Thank you, sir."

"There you go again!" said Lord Chidori, laughing harder. "You don't get it. I'm not your superior any more. I'm not your employer. I'm not paying you anymore." His voice got louder, more angry and frustrated. "Money means nothing! Social standing means nothing! Right now it's about survival, which means food, water, and shelter. Outside of this house, I can't provide any more of those things! Not to you, not to my daughter, not to anyone!"

Sousuke sat back in his chair, Chidori's words starting to sink in. Though Sousuke knew the world had changed forever, a part of him had still expected everything to be resolved somehow and that they would all go back to normal sometime in the future. But Chidori was right. With all of the dying, with all of the death, nothing could go back to normal. Society's whole infrastructure was forever changed. The people who used to matter in the old world suddenly didn't matter at all.

Chidori pushed the glass of whiskey toward Sousuke with a sympathetic look. "We're equals now, Sousuke. Whether I like it or not. My life is in your hands. So is my daughter's. We'll do what we can to stay alive, but we're going to really need your help."

Sousuke slowly nodded. Chidori was asking Sousuke to help him, not for money, but out of the goodness of his heart. He had every opportunity to say no and strike out on his own. His chances would be much better without an older man and a young pregnant woman to look after. But they were as close to family as anything he had ever had. "I will do everything I can to keep us all alive," he finally said. He pushed the whiskey away.

He continued, "And you need to stop drinking, Chidori. Tomorrow's going to be hard enough."

"That's the spirit, boy!" Kaname's father laughed again as Sousuke rose to retreat to his bed. He wanted to start out at first light.

Sousuke paused when Chidori cleared his throat. "She loves you, you know." His words were quiet.

Sousuke froze. His heart thundered in his ears, making him sure that he had heard him wrong.

Chidori continued, "You didn't know?" He chuffed a laugh.

Sousuke let out a breath and turned to the older man, eyes wide and uncomprehending.

"You _are_ a good boy. Not too bright, though." Sousuke couldn't find the words to answer.

"Oh, I know you love her. That's not hard to understand, she's so… exceptional. But she loves you, too. That's why I had to send her away and have her married. I couldn't risk that she would throw her life away, her life here, on a boy who had nothing to give her. It wasn't that I didn't like you. I did. But we have a duty in this family." Chidori laughed mirthlessly. "Had," he corrected himself. "She promised to go and I promised not to fire you."

Sousuke leaned against the doorway, his thoughts processing too fast for him to catch a hold of one.

"She was right to want to keep you. Well, there's nothing stopping you two now." Chidori turned back to the monitors. The infected in the hallway had been joined by two more.

"It… can't happen. I'm not… enough," Sousuke struggled out.

Chidori sighed. "No, Sousuke. It _couldn't_ happen. It can now. I… don't approve. But I don't think she'll ever do better than you in that world out there," he motioned to the door to the safe room. "And I want you to stay with her no matter what. Understand?"

Sousuke couldn't do anything but nod his head. Then he shook it and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He couldn't concentrate. His only option for keeping them alive was to put it out of his head. It couldn't happen. That's all. It was impossible. He would keep them alive because that's all he _could_ do.

Sousuke left the room and went to his own bed, doing what he could to tamp down the swirling hope awakened by his recent conversation. The next day would be hard enough.

-z-

Sousuke punched the code into the window unit, releasing the locks so the steel window covering disengaged and lowered to the floor. Sousuke didn't want to risk going through the house. The infected seemed to be gathered at all of the major doors and windows, doing what they could to dismantle Sousuke's blockades.

Sousuke maneuvered himself out of the window and onto the fire escape and took his first look at the outside world in six weeks.

Handfuls of infected roamed the grounds around the house. Sousuke could smell their stench. Bodies also lay, decomposing, scattered here and there along the driveway and on what once had been well-manicured lawn. Finding a path through the infected without initiating a confrontation wouldn't be easy, but Sousuke was confident they could do it.

He ducked back in the window and confronted Kaname and Chidori's expectant looks. They were outfitted similarly. Both wore jeans and long sleeved shirts that weren't so tight or loose that they would impede movements. They had on durable shoes made for walking and carried backpacks full of their provisions. They were as ready as they were going to get.

"I was right. They're more gathered at the main entrances of the house. If we make it down the fire escape and _quietly_ follow the drive way out of the compound, I think we'll be okay. We'll make our way into the village. From there, we'll see about getting to the water treatment facility on the southeast corner of the city. Sound good?"

They both nodded at him. They had heard on the radio that when the outbreak occurred, Western City's water treatment plant had gone on immediate lockdown. Only workers and their families were initially let in, but there were rumors that they were beginning to take in other survivors as well. They had managed to keep the treatment facility operational, so the city still had working, drinkable water in its pipes.

The radio had also reported on other settlements of survivors, but the treatment facility was closest to the Chidori compound and Sousuke thought the odds were safest if they were to make their way there. Kaname and her father were in agreement. The plant was roughly ten miles away and Sousuke hoped that they would be able to make it there in a matter of a few days.

"Are you ready? Do you have what you need?" Nods again. "Okay. Remember: being quiet is the key. We don't want to alert them and make them hoard. If things go pear-shaped, run, find something to climb up to buy yourself time. Aim for the head. Got it?"

"Yes," Chidori replied. Kaname gave Sousuke a worried look.

"You can do this, Kaname. I promise," Sousuke said.

Kaname shifted her backpack and reworked the grip on her softball bat before she finally said, "All right."

Sousuke led the way back out the window. He climbed down the first flight of stairs to the landing. Then he attached a nylon ladder to the bar on the landing with its metal hooks and lowered the other end until it pooled on the ground. The infected were bad with stairs and Sousuke guessed that ladders would completely flummox them.

After checking around to make sure they were still unnoticed, Sousuke shouldered his assault rifle and descended down the ladder.

Kaname followed, then her father. They both looked around warily; Kaname clutched her bat, ready to strike, and Chidori gripped his sheathed sword so tightly his knuckles were white. Sousuke flicked the ladder so that the hooks came free of the rod and he caught it before it could thud to the ground. He rolled up the ladder and put it in his pack. Then he nodded at the other two and they began to make their way to the driveway.

Kaname was naturally light on her feet and Sousuke had trained himself to tread silently, but Chidori had a much harder time controlling his footfalls. He was not a man who had ever felt the need to be silent or to disguise his presence in any situation. Sousuke brought his fingers to his lips, and pointed at Chidori's feet. The older man took the hint and corrected himself as well as he could.

The process of avoiding the notice of the infected and being as quiet as possible made the progress across the compound slow. Once they reached the end of the drive, they came to a collection of smaller houses and cottages in which many of the long time household staff and some extended family lived. The houses were more clustered together, which interrupted Sousuke's sightlines, making the way more dangerous.

Just after noon, the trio turned a corner around a cottage and came face-to-face with a pack of ten or so infected, just feet away from them. Kaname gasped and froze. Sousuke moved in front of her, motioning for absolute silence. They waited for what felt like hours, but was really only a couple of heartbeats, and gripped their weapons carefully, but the infected didn't seem to notice them.

Sousuke motioned for them to back away quietly. They were soon several steps away with the wall between them and the group of infected. Sousuke sighed, then continued on. He put more distance between his group and the cottage as he turned the corner once again. They still felt too close. Sousuke motioned for all of them to tread on the lawn to help muffle their footsteps as they edged by the group of infected. He wasn't sure how, but infected seemed to be able to tell the difference between the footsteps of fellow walking dead and the footsteps of their living prey. Maybe it was the lack of shuffling combined with the sounds of breathing that tipped them off, but Sousuke didn't want to even take the slightest chance when it came to their safety.

Once clear of the pack, Kaname broke into a run, upset at how close they had gotten. Sousuke and Chidori followed her to a picnic bench in someone's back yard. There weren't infected around and the line of sight was good enough to see any coming in plenty of time. Kaname sat down and put her head between her knees and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Her father rubbed her back while Sousuke kept watch.

"Sorry," Kaname whispered, a tear running down her face. "I just didn't realize how awful they were. The smell…"

"Shhh," comforted her father.

"It's okay," whispered Sousuke. "I should have warned you. I'll try harder to avoid them in the future." He offered her some water which she took with an embarrassed smile.

"I'll get stronger, I promise," she whispered back.

In twenty minutes, Kaname signaled that she was okay to continue. They moved on through the neighborhood with even more care. They also took frequent breaks, often to wait for a group of infected to move away from the path they intended to follow.

Though it was only three miles from the main house to the west gates of the compound, those most seldom-used, the trek took them almost all day. It was early evening by the time they left the compound and entered the village.

Sousuke frowned at the scene. Any thought he had of hot wiring a car to take them to the city was lost. There were plenty of cars around, but they were all piled together in every road and side street he could see. The outbreak had caused mass panic in the village and people had taken to their cars, crashed, then become overwhelmed by infected.

What was unusual, though, was that there weren't any sign of any infected as far as Sousuke could tell. They were probably roaming the streets just as they had roamed the Chidori compound, but there were none in sight down the main road or the three streets and sidewalks that he could see.

Chidori gave a sigh. "It's empty," he finally said, voice low, but still above a whisper.

"It's creepy," added Kaname. "But I'll take it over infected, that's for sure."

"How about we take a break and have some dinner?" asked Sousuke. This suggestion was met with eager agreement.

They found a nearby diner with outdoor seating set up, probably due to the warm weather on the day of the outbreak. Kaname set out the water and they all brought out an energy bar and Sousuke produced two cans of tuna.

"These don't exactly go together," he said as he pulled the tab on one of the tuna cans, peeling it back, "but it'll do for now."

Kaname looked skeptically at the meal. "I miss fresh food," she finally said. "Everything I've eaten in the past two weeks has come out of a can or a wrapper."

Chidori frowned at his daughter, sending her a disapproving look, and she dropped her eyes to the table. Sousuke recognized this look. She used it every time she expected a lecture from her father and Sousuke guessed she was about to get one about not complaining about difficult situations that you can't change. But, Chidori gave a long sigh and only said, "I miss eggs."

He sounded so sad with that admission that Sousuke laughed out loud. Kaname looked back up at her father with a grin. She appreciated that he seemed as miserable as she was. She continued, "I never thought I'd say this, but I miss salads."

"I miss pot roast," he answered.

"I miss stew," she sighed.

"I miss grilled chicken," he responded.

She laughed. "Me too."

They both then turned to look at Sousuke who was thoughtfully munching on his energy bar. He realized that they were waiting for him to join in, so he said, "I've always been partial to fruit flavored CalorieMate bars. Unfortunately, they were discontinued, so I now make due with these maple flavored ones."

Kaname and her father blinked at Sousuke, then erupted into laughter, trying their best to muffle the sounds with their hands. Sousuke wasn't absolutely sure what they were laughing about, but he was happy that they'd found something humorous in this situation, so he grinned back at them.

"Oh, Sousuke, you're too much sometimes," Kaname chided, wiping away a tear. Chidori looked at his daughter, then gave Sousuke a pointed look that was chilling.

They finished their meals in relative good humor and cleaned up after themselves. Sousuke then asked that they be on the lookout for any signs of safe houses. The radio had said that survivors had set them up in various cities and towns as they were passing through. They were well barricaded and could offer small groups a safe place to spend the night. Common convention was that survivors that stayed could take from the provisions that were there as long as they left anything they could spare in return. The signs for the safe houses could be found spray painted with directions as you got close to them. They generally were a house shape, box with a pointed top, with a plus sign in the box and an arrow pointing the direction of the safe house. Sousuke hoped that they would find one before night fell.

The three then wended their way through the deserted streets, keeping an eye open to potential dangers. They were being so careful.

That's why it surprised Sousuke when the car alarm went off. Apparently, Chidori had brushed up against a car with a sensitive alarm system and it started beeping and honking, flashing its headlights and alerting anyone in the area, dead or alive, to exactly where they were.

The three looked at one another in wide-eyed surprise. After a beat, Sousuke knew he had to get a hold of the situation. "We need to get up. Follow me quickly!"

Already, Sousuke could see signs of movement coming from down the street. He ran at it, anyway, knowing that they would probably start closing in from all sides. He wanted to get away from the bleating car most of all. That's where the infected would gather and he wanted to be as far from that as he could get.

"Sousuke!" Kaname shouted as they neared an infected. Sousuke saw it and swung his police baton with all of his might, caving in its skull. A quick look behind him confirmed his fears. Infected were coming in off of all of the side streets. There were dozens of them and Sousuke suspected many more to come. He could hear their moans from a hundred yards down the street. The trio weaved in and out of the cars parked on the street because the sidewalks were congested with infected walkers.

"Keep your eyes peeled!" Sousuke said. "Look for fire escapes or scaffolding or something to get us up off of the street level!" Another glance back and he saw that Kaname was right on his heels with her father only a few paces behind her.

They ran and gave a wide berth to any alleyways or side streets coming on to the main street because the infected were streaming in from these avenues.

Suddenly, Sousuke tripped. A crawler had grabbed his ankle from underneath a car. It used Sousuke's weight to leverage itself out into the open, jaws snapping at Sousuke's kicking feet. Before it could launch itself at Sousuke, Kaname was there, bringing down her bat with a powerful swing that almost surprised Sousuke. The crawler's blood and brains splashed against the car and the powerful grip at his ankle released.

Chidori helped Sousuke to his feet. "Thanks," Sousuke said, a little shaken. "We need to keep running."

Another hundred yards down the street and Sousuke started to feel panicky. The infected were still pouring out onto the road both in front of and behind them. They'd be swarmed in a matter of minutes. But then Sousuke saw what he was looking for.

A high, chain linked fence separated the yard of a three story building from the street. While the infected could take down a fence in a few minutes, he thought it could buy them time to scramble up the fire escape.

"Follow me," he said and started to scale the fence. The yard was clear and also fenced from the alley behind the building. As far as Sousuke could tell, there was no available ladder to the first landing of the fire escape. Sousuke dropped to the ground and quickly freed his nylon ladder from his bag, attempting to hook it onto that landing roughly ten feet off the ground. He heard Kaname and Chidori thud to the earth behind him.

After a few tries, he managed to get both hooks latched on and he hurried Kaname up the ladder first. He held the nylon taut for her to keep it from swinging and making it more difficult for her to reach the landing. His back was to the door from the building that fed into the yard, so he didn't see it swing open and the infected pour out, but he felt the door slam into his back.

"Dammit," he growled. He should have thought to secure the door first. He turned around, kicking the door shut, but not before four infected had stumbled into the yard and surrounded Chidori. He unholstered his Glock and started shooting, hoping that he could take them out before they got to Kaname's father.

"Dad!" Kaname screamed, descending the ladder once again.

There was so much chaos, gunfire, and screaming, what happened next was a blur. Sousuke was concentrating on killing the infected closest to Chidori while the man wielded his katana wildly, screaming at Kaname to stay where she was. Chidori brought the sword down into the skull of another infected where it got stuck and was wrenched from Chidori's grasp as the creature fell backwards.

Sousuke targeted the third infected and sent a bullet through its head, but not before it managed to grab on to Chidori before it died, so it pulled him down as he fell. The last infected stooped over the fallen man before Sousuke could react.

He felt Kaname brush by him and he checked his gun, making sure it was never pointed at her as she ran at the last infected, swinging away.

She made solid contact and the last creature slumped over, its blood painting a starburst pattern on the building's wall.

Sousuke secured the door by bracing it with his baton. He could hear Kaname crying and knew the worst had happened.

Sousuke hurried to the fallen man who was cupping a bleeding knee. His face was pale and his eyes were already turning bloodshot.

"Oh God, what happened?" asked Kaname, her tears betraying that she already knew.

"Kaname, I'm sorry," her father said. "I'm afraid I'm not going to make it the rest of the way with you."

"No!"

"Listen: Stay with Sousuke. Find other survivors. Live. Take care of that little baby." He started coughing.

"I can't do this without you!"

"Of course you can, Kaname. You're so special. You're strong." A laugh turned into another cough. "You're stubborn. I was only holding you two back. You'll be fine, but you have to take care of yourself."

"Dad, I don't want to lose you!"

He coughed again. Sousuke felt overwhelming sadness and guilt. He should have been able to stop this from happening. And now he felt like the worst voyeur by being witness to these last moments of his old employer, the man who had been able to give him a life and job to be proud of.

"Sorry, Kaname. I'm sorry for so much. I want you to know that I've always been proud of you, even if we didn't always agree. I'm sorry…"

"Dad, stop! It's okay, really." She looked on with worry as he had another coughing fit. She grabbed his hand and sobbed. Once he was done coughing, he took her face in both of her hands. She looked into his eyes, her own eyes shining and desperate. They softened, though, when she was able to recognize the depth of emotion he was trying to convey. It was a heartbreaking moment that Sousuke knew would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"I love you, my beautiful girl. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Chidori looked up at Sousuke. "I won't become one of them." He slowly took off his backpack and hunting rifle and set them aside.

Sousuke felt his heart drop, but he completely understood. He stood from hi s crouched position and leveled his gun at Chidori.

"Take care of Kaname," he said.

"Yes sir."

Kaname leapt at Sousuke, pulling at his arm. "No! Not yet! I'm not ready!"

"Kaname, leave him alone. It has to be done," her father rasped, keeping eye contact with Sousuke.

"No! You can't! It can't be you! I'll never forgive you!" she hissed at Sousuke, breaking down once again.

Sousuke's finger curled around the trigger, Kaname's words slicing at him. He frowned and dropped his arm, working up the courage to defy Kaname and be the one who took away what she most loved in this world.

His arm rose, then faltered again.

Chidori smiled sadly and hung his head. Addressing Kaname, he said, "No, you probably wouldn't forgive him, would you?"

After another fit of coughing that reddened his mouth with blood, he looked back up and produced the revolver that Sousuke had given him.

"NO!" Kaname screamed, the echo of her voice abruptly interrupted by a gunshot.

TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As always, I adore feedback, so let me know what you think. Furthermore, I write notes on these chapters that can be found on my Dreamwidth account (see my profile for details). Thanks for reading!


	4. Burn Through the Witches

**The Sickness**

By Starzki

-z-

**4. Dig Through the Ditches and Burn Through the Witches**

-z-

Sousuke turned away from the body as it slumped over. He was gone.

He turned to Kaname who couldn't seem to take her eyes off of her father's body. She was beyond pale, turning an ashen color. The muscles in her face were frozen in her final scream, eyes wide and panicked, trembling lips still pressed into an O. Sousuke could only guess at the chaos and grief Kaname was experiencing.

She turned to him. Her eyes beseeched him, asking why, accusing him of failing to protect her father, and pleading with him to make everything right again.

He knew he would never be able to fix it. He knew he'd feel guilty for the rest of his life. But he also knew that now was not the time for feelings. Kaname's scream and the gunshot were already attracting infected and they were slowly making their way to the fence.

Sousuke shook his head at Kaname. She seemed to be working herself up to a serious meltdown and they needed to move. She inhaled two hitching breaths, let them out. After her next inhale, it would be a wail, then sobs that would probably render her immobile.

So, with that inhale, Sousuke strode to her and pulled her roughly to him, embracing her tightly. The movement shocked her enough that she didn't cry out.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear. "We can't. We have to run now." Kaname remained stiff in his arms.

Sousuke held her for just another second before letting her go and scooping up the hunting rifle and backpack Kaname's father had set aside. After a moment's consideration, Sousuke took the revolver from the dead man's hand and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Let's go," he said to Kaname as he loosed the ladder once again, balling it and stuffing it into his pack. She didn't make any movement. She stood rooted to the same spot.

"We can't just leave him," she said.

Three infected had reached the fence. Raw, blood-stained hands gripped with a furious power and began shaking the metal, bending it open.

"We have to go!" said Sousuke. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the back fence that seemed infected-free for the moment.

"We can't just leave him!" she screamed, but she was running with Sousuke. He could feel the anger rolling off of her in waves. Sousuke didn't mind. In fact, he would be happy if she was angry at him for many, many years to come if it meant that she would survive the evening.

Sousuke dropped Kaname's hand and wrenched open the back gate. The ally was thick with infected to the west, so they ran east. For the first time, Sousuke was glad for the beeping car alarm. Except for the infected who had heard the gun shot, it seemed that most were more drawn to the continuous sound down the street. Unfortunately, a good number were still following them.

With darkness falling, Sousuke's eyes began to strain for any sign of safety. He wanted another fire escape, but the village had mostly two-story buildings that didn't need them. Ahead of them, the alleyway appeared blocked by a building, so Sousuke grabbed Kaname's wrist and began to pull her down an access road back to the main street. Kaname yanked her wrist free from Sousuke's hand and continued running straight down the alley.

"Kaname!"

"Come on!" she responded.

Sousuke readjusted his course and caught up to Kaname in a few seconds. He looked behind them and was dismayed to see that the alley had even more infected in it and that they were going to be cut off from the access to the street soon. "It's a dead end!" he said.

"No it's not! Look!" She pointed at the wall of the building in front of them. There was a mark of a safe house with an arrow pointing down and to the right. Once they neared, they saw a set of stairs leading down to a doorway to the building's basement.

They cambered down the stairs and opened the unlocked door. Relief washed over Sousuke as they entered the safe room and found it empty. He closed the solid metal door behind them, cutting off the rising volume of moans from infected that echoed down the alley.

-z-

The dim light from the lantern did what it could to penetrate the dark gloom of the windowless basement room. The area was smallish, crowded with metal shelves lined against the walls. What the shelves didn't cover of the walls, writing from other survivors did. Most were notes of where to go, what was safe and what wasn't. A few lewd remarks and bragging about number of infected killed in different styles of pens and markers also graffitied the painted bricks. Three chairs and cheap wooden tables covered with the detritus of the leftovers of other survivors left only a small space on the floor for the sleeping bag. Sousuke wished he could pace.

They were lucky. This safe room had a working bathroom. Kaname had locked herself in it soon after they had found the matches to light the lantern and Sousuke could hear her sniffles through the door. She was obviously crying, but doing what she could to keep it under control.

He took inventory of the supplies left in the room by the others. There were bullets, bottles of water, a few energy drinks, unlabeled cans of food, bottles of pills, and some bandages. Sousuke only really wanted the energy drinks for now. He put them in his pack.

In their place, he decided to leave the Smith and Wesson revolver. Kaname would never use it and it would only remind him of his failure to save her father. Maybe another survivor would have better luck with the gun than they had. He also left about half of the .38 bullets he was carrying, figuring he might trade the rest for something else in the future.

He held his former boss's backpack, unsure of what to do with it. Kaname might want to go through it, herself, but he wasn't sure she would be up for that this evening. After the stress and horror of the day, he was exhausted. He couldn't imagine how tired Kaname must also be feeling. In the end, he just stuffed everything from Chidori's pack into his own to let Kaname go through it some other time when she would be ready.

As he rezipped his pack, he heard the door to the bathroom open. The pervading darkness of the room couldn't hide Kaname's swollen, red eyes. She had tied up her hair and washed her face. The shadows made the dark circles under her eyes seem even deeper. She looked as though she hadn't slept in days. Sousuke immediately moved out of her way, motioning for her to lie down on the sleeping bag.

"There's no toilet paper," she said dully. "I had some tissues. We might think of looking for that when we move on."

Sousuke nodded, internally kicking himself for not thinking of that earlier. The mansion had been so well stocked that he just hadn't considered the fact it was probably a scarce commodity out in the rest of the world.

They stood in silence for a few seconds before Sousuke asked, as gently as he could, "Are you going to be okay?"

Kaname didn't react. "No," she finally said, then tilted her head a little to the right. "Yes."

Sousuke nodded again. He understood grief. There were times where you felt like you would never be okay again, but you knew that you were alive and could move forward even though it hurt. He guessed Kaname was feeling the same.

"You need to rest," he said.

She answered with an unhappy look before moving toward the sleeping bag. She lay on her side, facing the wall. She scooted over even more, obviously leaving room for Sousuke.

"I don't…" started Sousuke. Sleeping so close to Kaname after failing her felt wrong.

She sighed. "Just… lie down. We both need rest. We didn't survive today just to get bitten tomorrow because we're too tired to do what we need to do."

Sousuke couldn't argue, so he turned off the lantern and joined her on the floor, breathing in the smell of sweat and tears that other survivors had left behind. He was surprised that he began drifting away almost immediately.

"He's gone," Kaname murmured, drifting off as well, but maintaining authority in her voice. "We need to live so that someone remembers him."

"Affirmative."

-z-

Sousuke awoke the next morning in the darkness of the safe room. He stretched and worked the stiffness out of his muscles. Kaname's soft, even breathing beside him let him know that she was still sleeping.

He took advantage of her slumber and cleaned himself up in the bathroom, bringing the lantern with him. His watch's readout let him know that it should just be about daybreak outside. The safe room had served its purpose. It was time to move on.

Sousuke went back to the bed roll and regarded Kaname for a moment. She had turned onto her back sometime in the night and her lips were parted, forehead pinched with sorrow, even in her sleep. Still, she was stunning.

Rather than shake her awake, Sousuke opted for a more gentle method. He ran the back of the knuckles of his fingers down the side of her face, taking the moment to catalogue the velvety smoothness of her skin. It was the first time he could think of that he had touched her face. A pang of guilt echoed in his chest and he realized he was taking advantage, so he didn't repeat the gesture.

Kaname's eyelids fluttered a moment, then opened. Her brown eyes shined with hopefulness for a fraction of a second, then fell with remembered grief.

"Sousuke…" she whispered.

"We should eat something."

"Mm."

Kaname stood and stretched. She then made her way to the bathroom.

Sousuke went to work opening one of the unlabeled food cans. He was in luck. The first can was peaches. Kaname loved peaches.

The bathroom door squeaked open behind him. "Sousuke, we need to talk," said Kaname with an even, flat voice.

Sousuke felt his stomach drop. His first instinct was that Kaname was going to leave him. She was going to say that as soon as they met other survivors that they would then split up and go their own ways. He'd failed her too much already.

Sousuke sank into a metal chair. He wouldn't stop her if that's what she needed to do. He definitely didn't blame her.

"Okay," he finally answered.

Kaname sat in a chair next to him and folded her hands on the table in front of them. She took a deep breath and started.

"I'm going to have more of a say in what we do."

Sousuke looked at her carefully. "Okay."

"Until now, it was really just you and my dad making the big decisions. I didn't know what else to do, what else I _should_ do, so I just went along with it. But now my dad is… gone. I have to take charge, take responsibility for what happens next, okay?"

Sousuke nodded, then startled when Kaname covered one of his hands with hers.

"Sousuke, you're all I have left, so you have to promise me that you won't die." Her voice held a mixture of authority and desperation.

Sousuke's answer was automatic, "Affirmative."

"Good. Now, next, we'll have breakfast, find a way out of this building, then make our way to the water treatment place. That's the plan, right?"

"Yes."

Then, to Sousuke's surprise, Kaname gave him a small smile. It was then that Sousuke understood that from that moment on, they were going to be a team.

-z-

Sousuke's legs pumped the pedals of the bike in a steady rhythm. They were making good time.

After they had left the safe room out of the exit that took them through the abandoned building, they had stumbled onto a bit of luck. For one, the infected of the evening before seemed to have mostly dispersed. Sousuke guessed that they were all gathered around the area of the now-silent car alarm. The battery must have died some time during the night.

Also, just a few paces away on the sidewalk, they had discovered a bicycle. The blood spattering its white paint communicated a bad end for its previous rider, but it was still in good working order. It had a ledge behind the seat for bags or other items that also could be used as a second seat for a passenger.

They took advantage right away, navigating down the sidewalks and any clear areas of the street. Kaname kept her bat on her lap and was able to at least push away any infected who got too near to their bike. They had made their way through the village in less than two hours.

Rather than take the highway into the city, Sousuke knew of a lesser-used country road that had more hills and winding areas that fewer people would think to take to escape to the city. He guessed that this route would be less clogged with cars, traffic, and infected.

The road took them through by farms whose fields were untilled and becoming overgrown with weeds. It did have the advantage, however, of good sightlines to any infected in the area. Sousuke and Kaname avoided any confrontations with relative ease. In the hours since leaving the village, they had only seen three infected roaming the fields.

Sousuke breathed in the sweet air, gloriously free of the smell of decomposition. It was another beautiful warm spring day. If the world around them wasn't falling apart, it would have been really nice. It was the type of scenario that Sousuke never had let himself consider before. Going on a ride in the country with the girl he had loved for years would have seemed like an impossible dream. Instead of a dream, though, it seemed more like an impossible nightmare.

The country road from the village to the city was longer than the highway, about 12 miles. They stopped about once an hour to give Sousuke a rest and to let Kaname find a bush or tree so that she could relieve herself. She had let him know that there wasn't anything wrong with her; it was a common effect of pregnancy. Yet despite the frequent stops, Sousuke guessed that they would reach Western City by mid-afternoon, much earlier than he had previously guessed.

-z-

"Sousuke, I don't like this."

"I know."

The sky above the city was black. Smoke from various building fires stained the clouds and rained soot down on the streets.

Sousuke knew that these streets had never been particularly clean to begin with, but the landscape that spread out before them looked threatening and alien.

They were on the outskirts of the Basin, the low-lying ghetto at the far southeast end of the city. Sousuke knew it well. He had, in effect, grown up on these streets. They looked as unforgiving and dangerous as they ever did.

Once entering the Basin, the feeling of dread had forced Sousuke and Kaname off the bike. They stalked carefully down the street, edging around the outside of the Basin because high ground seemed more defensible. They were already seeing infected bumping off of buildings and doorways. Dead bodies littered the streets. People here had fought back against the infected, but the place appeared just as abandoned and dangerous as the village had. Sousuke readied the M16 rifle and pointed it carefully down the road. Kaname walked the bike after him, her head swiveling from side to side to keep track of the movements of the city's infected.

They had made it nearly a half mile through the city streets when the sound of echoing gunfire filled the air.

Gunfire meant other survivors. However, if they were shooting, they were probably under attack and Sousuke needed to find an area to observe without the risk of being caught by a stray bullet.

The gunfire was definitely coming from down in The Basin.

"You hear that, Kaname?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"It sounds like automatic fire, probably from an assault rifle."

"So?"

"It may be military."

"Oh. Is that good or bad?"

"I'm not sure, but I think we should check it out."

Kaname considered it for a moment before nodding her head.

Sousuke led Kaname to the street that would take people into the very heart of The Basin. From their vantage point at the top of the hill, they had a clear view of the entire street below. They could see a mass of hundreds of infected gathering around what appeared to be a gas station about 150 yards away.

Sousuke pushed Kaname behind a building, "Watch my back, please. I'm going to try to help him out and the gunfire might attract the infected to here."

"Got it."

Sousuke leaned the M16 next to a mailbox and unslung the hunting rifle from his shoulder. Long distance shooting wasn't his specialty, but he was proficient enough at this distance that he was confident he would be helpful to whoever was pinned down.

He propped the Remington 700 on the mailbox and looked through the scope. The gas station had a chain link fence fifteen feet high that surrounded its four pumps. Two figures within the fence were struggling to fend of the hoard that was intent on tearing through. Well, Sousuke amended, one figure, a blond man in military fatigues, was trying to fend them off with a Heckler and Koch G36 assault rifle, while the other was hunched over something he couldn't see.

The man with the rifle was doing a fairly good job of mowing down the infected in front of him, dissolving their heads with bullets, but he didn't seem to see the others behind him that were nearly breaching the fence. Sousuke took a deep breath, steadied his aim, and fired. He saw its head disappear with a splash of black blood, then turned his attention to the other creature that had taken its place. In a fraction of a second, that infected was dead, too.

The blond soldier looked around wildly before spotting Sousuke. He then looked over his shoulder at the dead infected and the gaping hole in the fence before waving at Sousuke in thanks.

Sousuke waved back.

The soldier reloaded his rifle before shooting into the crowd once again. The hoard surrounding the gas station seemed endless.

For the next five minutes, Sousuke did what he could to help. He kept his eye on the back of the station's fence where only handfuls of infected were attacking. He could take his time with his aim and not waste ammo. He occasionally heard Kaname's quick, light footsteps rush off, followed by a soft grunt and a cracking sound. She was protecting him like he was protecting the two strangers down the street. He only hoped that they could take care of the hoard before he attracted one of his own.

Suddenly, the stuttering from the assault rifle down the street was replaced with sharp cracks of a handgun. Through the scope, Sousuke could see the large weapon tossed aside, probably because it was out of ammo. The soldier was yelling at the other figure as he fired wildly into the crowd.

Sousuke wasn't sure what to do. There were at least 50 infected still surrounding the gas station and there was no way a handgun, even with Sousuke's assistance, was going to save them. There was the option of going down with the M16 to take the infected out from behind, but it seemed dangerous. The hoard would probably turn on him, turn on Kaname. That was out of the question.

But he couldn't leave them either. He did what he could to take out the infected that were closest to opening the fence, buying the two a little bit of time whenever the soldier paused to reload.

The situation seemed dire. The infected were working simultaneously on four different entry points and with every one that went down, two more took its place. It would only be a minute before they would be completely swarmed.

Sousuke was about to despair when he saw the other figure stand up. It was another soldier, only a woman with short, dark hair. She was holding some kind of pack and what looked like a long, metal rod. Even from 150 yards away, he could hear her whoop as a long flame shot out from the metal rod, dousing the infected near her with killing fire.

After a few adjustments, she got the flame thrower to reach twenty feet out. The smell of burning flesh wafted up the street.

"Oh my God," breathed Kaname. She brought her fingers to her lips, turning green.

"It's working," said Sousuke. The hoard was completely engulfed in flames. Infected would stagger, often bumping into fellow infected, spreading the fire, before falling to the street, twitching for a few seconds before going still.

The fire died down in a matter of minutes. The two soldiers unchained the gate of the fence and hopped carefully over the smoldering remains of the dead. They made their way up the street, both wearing toothy smiles.

Sousuke set aside his rifle, but still carried his Glock. He stood stiffly in front of them, Kaname at his back.

"Nice shooting back there! You saved our asses!" the woman exclaimed with a friendly punch to Sousuke's shoulder.

The other man joined in, "No kidding, Sis. I thought I was a goner with you taking your sweet ass time with that flame thrower. Nice job, man. Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Sousuke answered. He was at a bit of a loss at the lack of military formality between the two, especially since the woman seemed to definitely outrank the man.

The female soldier didn't seem to hear Sousuke. Instead she whirled on the young man beside her. "My 'sweet ass time?!' Well, I wouldn't have needed all that time to syphon gas and repair the thrower if a certain idiotic Sergeant hadn't alerted every Whisky Delta in the area to our location!"

The blond man looked chagrined at this response and scratched the back of his head.

"Who _are_ you two?" Kaname asked.

"Oh, _hey there_ pretty lady. I almost didn't see you," the soldier responded.

The woman elbowed him on the top of his head, effectively dropping her colleague for the moment. "Sorry about that. The idiot on the ground in front of you is Sergeant Kurz Weber. I'm Sergeant Major Melissa Mao. And not to cut these introductions off too quickly, but there seems to be another hoard gathering down the street, so maybe we should find some place safe to hole up while they forget we were ever here. Sound good?"

TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

Author's Note: Discussion for this chapter can be found on my Dreamwidth and LiveJournal accounts. I also welcome any feedback you care to give. Thanks so much for reading!


	5. Didn't Know it Was a Devil Town

TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER: Mention of forced prostitution and child prostitution.

**The Sickness**

By Starzki

-z-

**5. Didn't Know It Was a Devil Town**

-z-

"We should get to a safe house," Kurz said after their brief introduction as the foursome weaved between the cars in the street as quietly as they could. Melissa and Kurz led Sousuke, who walked the bike, while Kaname brought up the rear, bat at the ready and eyes alert for any movement on the streets or sidewalk.

"There's one down in the Basin I know of," supplied Melissa. She readjusted the flame thrower on her back so that the straps sat more comfortably on her shoulders.

"Are you two with the military?" asked Kaname.

Kurz and Melissa exchanged a glance. "Kind of. Yes," Kurz answered. "We were sent out to check the integrity of the city's power grid. We were on our way back when we got attacked by those Whiskey Deltas you saw."

"Whiskey Deltas?" asked Sousuke.

"Weak dicks," supplied Melissa, making Kurz laugh.

"Walking dead," he informed them. "But weak dicks definitely fit, too. Sorry miss."

"It's… okay," Kaname said, but Sousuke could see her slight blush.

"So, are you two… together," asked Kurz, glancing back at them over his shoulder and waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Sousuke hesitated before asking, "What do you mean? Why do you care?"

Melissa answered for Kurz. "It was a test. You really should say 'Yes' when people ask you that out here."

"Why?" asked Sousuke.

Kurz expression slipped from impish to serious. "People are taking advantage of the chaos, especially here in the city. Let's just say that women and girls who are out here alone or don't have someone to fight for them… get taken advantage of."

Sousuke scowled at the thought. It wasn't surprising. He knew how awful people could be, especially when they thought they could get away with it. He felt Kaname's hand grip his sleeve near his elbow.

"I'm with Sousuke," she said firmly.

Sousuke felt something wrench inside of his chest at Kaname's words. They were words he had wanted to hear for so long, but the duress under which she said them physically hurt.

"Good girl," said Melissa. "But I bet you could probably take care of yourself. I saw you with those Delts back there. You've got a mean swing," she said with a smile.

Kaname didn't smile back, but she nodded. Her face was drawn and angry. Sousuke caught her eye but she looked away.

They crossed the street to avoid an infected and Melissa led them around a corner. Sousuke felt he had gone through a time warp. The street was the edge of his old stomping grounds when he had been a kid. Not much had changed. It had always been run down and dingy. Light never seemed to find its way into the alleys or beyond any building's threshold. The odor was the same rotted smell of his childhood. He had never wanted to come back.

Kaname shuddered. She still gripped Sousuke's shirt.

The four slinked down the street carefully. Sousuke found himself marking off the various building and "businesses" he knew. On the corner was the only place in the neighborhood you could buy vegetables or milk, but it also served as a front for the local bookie. Then came a liquor store, a bondsman office, a souvenir store that was actually a front for drug dealers, a pawn shop, a hotel/brothel run and staffed by immigrants, and so on. Nothing was really what it seemed to be and everything had a dark, violent undercurrent seething through it. It had been years, but Sousuke doubted anything had changed.

They turned another corner and confronted three infected. Kurz and Kaname were ready. Kurz used the butt of his weapon to smash in two of their heads while Kaname used her bat on the third one. Sousuke felt proud of her reflexes and how frighteningly lethal she was. Then he felt strange about feeling proud about that.

"Nice job, guys," said Melissa. "We're almost there. We can bed down for the night and go on our ways."

"We can't come with you?" asked Sousuke, managing to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"Negative. Sorry. We're not authorized to pick up strays right now. We're having a hard enough time keeping all of us alive and unbitten as it is" she answered with a shrug, shaking her head.

"I see," said Sousuke.

"There it is," Melissa said, pointing to a five story, red brick building. "Safe house is in there."

"No," said Sousuke, freezing mid-step. He worked to fight against the panic thumping through his veins. Entering the red building was not going to happen.

"What?" asked Kurz.

"We're not going in there." Sousuke was firm.

"Why the hell not? There's a safe house?"

"There's nothing at all safe about that building," Sousuke said finally.

"What is going on?" asked Melissa.

Sousuke looked around anxiously. He hated this place. "I grew up around here," he finally said.

"Here?" asked Kaname, disbelief staining her voice.

"Affirmative. Stepping inside of that building is out of the question." Sousuke realized that it might not be a rational response. It was likely that there truly was a safe room in that building, but he had spent his childhood avoiding the old red hotel and he would never consider entering it. No matter what, even if it was infected-free and barricaded so that no undead could ever enter, they'd still be exposed to the echoing pain and ghosts that would never leave those walls.

Kurz and Melissa looked cautiously at Sousuke. They wanted to trust him, but they also wanted to get off the street as the sun fell lower on the horizon. Kaname's eyes expressed pure worry, then she said, "I'm with Sousuke."

"Well, then do you know where else we can go?" asked Melissa.

Sousuke nodded and propped the bike against a tree. They would come back to find it later if they could. It was his turn to lead the way.

-z-

The sky had moved from deep red into bruised purple by the time Sousuke had led the group to the beige cinderblock building three blocks away. It had been abandoned, even when he was a child, so Sousuke thought the chances were good that it was a place they could hide out for the night.

He brought them around to the side of the building and found the loose block of foundation toward the back, near the alley. It measured two feet, by two feet, by two feet and was very heavy, but Kurz and Sousuke made quick work of moving it, exposing the hole that led inside the building.

"What is this place?" asked Kaname as Kurz dropped to his belly to wiggle through the hole.

"An old church. The windows are high off the ground, so it would be hard for people or infected to get in. The doors are heavy and have been rusted shut for as long as I've known this place, but I found it when I needed a place to crash and never told anyone about the way to get in. It should be good."

Kaname nodded, then followed Melissa in after Kurz gave the all clear. Sousuke went in backwards and shimmied the concrete block closer to the opening, disguising the hole in the building from infected and other survivors. Sousuke didn't trust anyone in the Basin any more.

Once inside, Sousuke breathed in deeply. The cold, moldy, musty smell greeted him. It was a relief from the smell of rotting garbage and burned human flesh that had followed them since the gas station confrontation.

Melissa and Kurz carefully checked the entire space, including the small office in the front and the bathroom. It had been looted long before Sousuke had discovered it, the pews tossed and piled in disorder against the walls. Hymnals littered the floor, slowly fading and turning to dust. Nothing adorned the walls but the blue nighttime light that filtered through the small stained glass windows near the ceiling. The only sign of life was a cleared corner in the apse that Sousuke had used to bed down over ten years ago.

"This isn't a bad place to stay," Melissa finally said.

"It's pretty secure," Kurz agreed.

The four moved toward the apse and began unstrapping their packs and weapons. Moving in practiced motions, Kurz and Melissa immediately went into their packs for water and rations to share. Sousuke and Kaname joined in and the four had a silent, but enjoyable dinner. The only sound was the muffled rustling of wrappers and the occasional shoe scraping against the floor. Sousuke felt himself relax for the first time since entering the city. He realized how exhausted he was.

Sousuke moved over to the wall and sat, leaning heavily against it.

"So," started Melissa, arranging her equipment into something that approached comfortable to sleep on, "Why did you have such a problem with the other safe room? Not that I'm complaining about this place."

"Always avoid the red house," Sousuke said.

"The red house?" asked Melissa.

"Yeah. Back then, ten, fifteen years ago, all of the homeless kids in this city used to run these streets. The adults around here mostly used us as their little enforcers. They saw us as useful and expendable. They organized the gangs, used us to fight their competitors and we didn't really question anything because we finally belonged to something. To someone. It was like a family, or what I thought one would be like. We all basically had to take care of each other, especially the younger ones."

Even in the darkness, Sousuke could see the sympathetic and understanding expressions from Kurz and Melissa. They were probably familiar with the area, or had at least heard stories like his before. Kaname's face, on the other hand, showed a mixture of horror and concern. She held her fingers to her lips, covering her frown.

"It's a tough life," said Kurz.

"It wasn't bad. Not compared to the red house. I don't know how it happened, but kids were just abandoned on these streets. Maybe parents knew that this is where kids could survive without people asking questions. Maybe there was an underground adoption industry and we were the rejects. I don't know, but there were young kids who turned up on the streets almost every week. Some of us got taken in by the crime families. Some… didn't. Adults from the red house would come out and… take inventory of the new kids who weren't affiliated with a gang yet. The ones that were too young or too weak to get in right away. They would find the kids, take them by the hand, and lead them to the red house. They would never come out after that."

Melissa sucked in air through her teeth. Kurz let out an unhappy grunt. Kaname just looked confused. "What happened to those kids?" she asked, her hand going to her abdomen in an unconscious gesture of protection.

Sousuke sighed. He didn't want to have to tell her. "It was a hotel. Children were… one of the services it offered."

Kaname gasped, but didn't say anything. She dropped her hands to her lap and stared at them, schooling her face into a neutral expression.

"We all learned from the beginning to stay away from the red house. So…"

"Hmm. Good call," said Kurz.

"Yeah. This isn't exactly comfortable, but I'm glad we avoided that other place. Yuck," said Melissa, laying back and crossing her arms, getting comfortable on the hard ground."

Sousuke took the cue and slid down the wall, lying on his back, pillowing his pack underneath his head. Dredging up old, bad memories had taken its toll. He was asleep within seconds.

-z-

He wasn't sure how much later he was awoken by Kaname, but the moonlight hadn't shifted all that much on the walls. She had moved to lie next to him, sharing his pillow. She was on her side and hugged his arm to her, her mouth next to his ear.

He hadn't moved at all, but she must have known he was awake. "I'm so sorry," she breathed. "I didn't know."

Sousuke didn't answer.

"Also," she continued, "just so you know, because I can tell you're thinking it, I'm not with you because I'm scared of other people. I'm with you because you're who I want to be with."

She paused for a breath, then said, "You're… mine."

Sousuke would have thought he was dreaming except for the cold anticipation that was flooding through him. He suppressed a shiver. It still felt too wrong. She had always been unattainable to him, but the first flicker of hope that she could be his stirred in his soul.

There were so many things he wanted to say in return. There were so many things he wanted to do. He imagined turning toward her, embracing her, maneuvering them so that they could lay like spoons and feel the warm length of her body against his all night long.

But saying or doing anything might change things too much between them. He didn't want to risk what they already had. Their situation was too precarious, too mobile. If things went badly, the danger would be unacceptable. They had to find some place safe for them to live before he could let himself answer her the way he wanted to. But Kaname deserved something, some acknowledgement that she had put herself out there so bravely.

Sousuke shifted his arm in her grip, finding her hand and threading his fingers though hers. He brought her knuckles to his lips and pressed them there for a moment before dropping their arms between them once more, hands still clasped.

He fell asleep marveling at Kaname's breathing and the way it made goose bumps that chased each other down his neck.

-z-

Melissa and Kurz were up first, setting out food to share another meal.

Sousuke sat up, surprised to find that Kaname was still curled up next to him. He lightly touched her face and she roused with a light snore.

"The bathroom still has toilet paper!" Melissa announced.

"Good," said Kaname, making her way across the large room toward the aforementioned bathroom. Sousuke watched her pick up her pack, no doubt for any change in clothes she might need, as well as her vitamins that she took every morning.

He took his turn next and returned to the apse to find the other three had already started breakfast.

"So," asked Kurz, "where you headed?"

"The water treatment plant," said Kaname, wolfing down a packet of peanut butter crackers. "We heard they're letting people in now."

Melissa and Kurz began immediately shaking their heads. "You heard wrong," Melissa finally said. "They're shooting outsiders on sight. They're not letting anyone but water personnel and their families in the facility."

"But that's not…" Kaname said, shocked.

"Trust us. You two saved us. We won't steer you wrong. The water treatment plant is not where you want to go."

Kaname looked at Sousuke with mild panic in her eyes.

"We hadn't really heard of other places that were accepting outsiders," said Sousuke.

"There are a few. The Basin has a settlement on the north lip, but it's… not a good place from what we've seen."

"I don't want to go there," said Kaname.

"There are a few small places around the city, but they tend to turn away people they don't know," continued Melissa. But, if you're willing to travel, there's a place on the upper west side of the city that might work for you two."

"Oh?" asked Sousuke. "What is it?"

"Jindai High School. It's a hike from here, but you might make it tonight before sunset. It's big and they're doing well about expanding. They take in some people, but not everyone. They might take you if you show them you'd benefit them."

Sousuke exchanged a look with Kaname, "What do you think?" he asked.

"I want to get far away from here," she said.

"Understood. Me too."

"Jindai sounds interesting."

"It _is_ far away, but I know where they're talking about. It was one of the biggest schools in the city."

Kaname nodded thoughtfully. "Let's do it," she decided.

Sousuke turned back to Melissa and Kurz. "Thanks for the info. Are you two leaving now?"

"Yeah. Gotta get back to the…" Kurz stopped himself. "…place we're going."

"We're sorry you can't come with us. I think you'd be useful. Especially with that rifle of yours," said Melissa.

Sousuke frowned over at the rifle, not looking forward to carrying it across the city. "It's not really my weapon of choice."

"Oh?" asked Kurz. "I'll take it off your hands."

"What will you give me?" asked Sousuke.

Kurz gave Melissa a pleading look. A silent conversation passed between them that ended when Melissa gave and exasperated sigh and a nod. She was still smiling though.

"We talked about it. We can't bring you with us, but we'll trade you the rifle for this walkie talkie," Kurz said, proffering the device. "We won't be able to talk much. But let's say at 1100 hours each day, we'll exchange whatever information we can. If we can bring you in, I'll let you know."

"Every day?" asked Kaname.

"Well, no," said Kurz. "But if I have something to share, I'll do it at 1100 hours. I'll also do what I can to be listening at that time. Okay?"

"Deal," said Sousuke.

Melissa smiled again. "Good. The easy negotiation is over. Now to discuss the leftover toilet paper…"

-z-

Sousuke and Kaname made pretty good time through the city on the bicycle until they hit Midtown, about two miles northwest of the Basin. Cars were piled so densely that even the sidewalks were clogged with vehicles.

They had to abandon the bike and make their way by climbing over cars. They were getting attention from infected in the area, but the tightly packed cars helped slow the infected down and keep them away from the pair.

They passed from trunk to roof to hood to trunk and so on down the road on the city's main artery. Except for having to look out for nearing infected, the journey became monotonous.

After about 30 minutes, Kaname broke the relative silence. "How did you get out of there? Years ago. How did you find your way to our house?"

Sousuke grinned. "I tried to rob the wrong guy."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. There was this gun and ammo store just outside of the Basin. Some old guy ran it and we thought it would be easy pickings. We were really wrong."

Kaname giggled. "What happened?"

"Well, I got caught, basically. Turned out the guy was ex-military, from another country, and he caught me when I tried to escape."

"Did he call the police?"

"No. I'm not sure why, but he asked if I was interested in his weapons. I said yes. So he said that if I wanted, he would train me how to use them if I stopped by every afternoon, but that I would have learn discipline as well."

Kaname used her bat to push an infected away from the trunk of the car she was about to step onto. "Go on."

"I guess there's not much to say. He put me through his own kind of boot camp, he taught me to fight, he taught me tactics, he taught me how to fire the weapons and how to take care of them. After about a year or so, I was spending more time with him, training, than I was with my gang. But no one ever said anything about it. I guess they were scared of the old man. And they should have been. I don't know a person who could take him out."

"He sounds really interesting."

"I guess. After a few years, he let me move into a small room behind the shop and I helped him run it. A few years later, someone put the word out for a young bodyguard for an heiress of a rich family who was reportedly… difficult. He put me up for the job. I met with your dad and was hired contingent on being able to get along with you."

"Ha!" the bark of laughter was at odds with the chaotic cityscape, but Sousuke couldn't stop his smile. "I almost had them fire you that first day! But you were… interesting. So I let you stay." Her voice was filled with bratty authority and genuine mirth.

"You let me stay. And here we are."

"Here we are," she agreed.

"So," she asked after climbing over a few more cars, "What happened to the old guy who trained you?"

"Not sure."

"What was his name?"

"Andrei Kalinin."

-z-

About a mile away from the school, the heavy traffic in the roads began to thin. Sousuke and Kaname stayed to the middle of the street and well away from anything that might conceal a walking infected or a crawler. They had done well in crossing the city in only one day, but the sun was beginning to sink in the sky and Sousuke wanted to make sure that they would get to Jindai before it started getting dark.

He thought about what the settlement would be like. He supposed it was based on the technology they had and the supplies that they were able to gather. From the sound of it from Kurz and Melissa, it was probably pretty well-organized. He suspected that they would have to share almost everything they had.

A half a mile away from the school, just before they turned down the road that would lead them to its entrance, Sousuke saw what he was looking for. It was a kind of storage shed built in to the side of house. They were designed to merely look like a part of the building's structure, part of the wall. People could store tools and expensive equipment with much less fear of it being stolen because many thieves wouldn't know it was a shed.

They hadn't been very popular because they were very expensive to camouflage as part of the house and often out-priced the stuff most people would hold inside. But this house had one. Sousuke could tell by the hinges that were out of place on a house's façade.

He stopped Kaname, checked for infected, and hopped the fence to the house. He located the combination lock without much trouble and spun the default code from the factory settings. Not many people ended up changing it and he crossed his fingers that this person hadn't either.

He was in luck. The hinges squeaked open revealing a completely empty space. The homeowner had apparently emptied it when the dead had started coming back to life. Sousuke placed Kurz's radio and his Glock and its ammo inside.

"Do you have anything you don't want to share with the rest of the settlement once we get there?" Sousuke asked Kaname.

"Just the vitamins, I guess," said Kaname after thinking about it. "And my bat."

Sousuke considered her answer. "Keep the bat. You won't need it inside and they'll think it's weird if you show up at their door without a weapon of some kind. And you should keep your vitamins with you. Just don't volunteer that you have them. It should probably be okay."

"Do you think I should tell them I'm pregnant?"

Sousuke thought about this. "I'm not sure," he finally said. "It… might be a reason for them to turn us away."

"I'm going to start showing in a month or two."

"It'll be harder for them to turn you out once they get to know you."

"So you're saying I'm lovely and charming and there's no way they'll get rid of me once they've met me?" she asked with a grin.

Sousuke gave a soft laugh. "Affirmative," he agreed.

She laughed in return, pleased with his answer. "Okay. I'll keep the little nugget under wraps for now."

"I'm going to use the storage just for us in case anything happens and we can't stay there. Sound good?"

"Sounds great!"

Kaname unpacked her bag and rearranged the contents, wrapping her vitamins in a sweatshirt and placing it at the bottom. She kept the food and water near the top. They were ready to go.

-z-

"Who are you? What do you want?" a male voice asked from over their heads, atop the barricade that blocked the school's courtyard entrance.

"Sousuke Sagara. And this is…"

"Kaname Chidori." Sousuke started at her response. She hadn't used Chidori as her surname since she got married and the fact that she was shedding it surprised him somewhat.

"We'd like to come in," Sousuke shouted to the voice.

"What do you have there?"

"An M16."

"You have ammo for that?"

"Yes."

"Can you shoot?"

"Yes."

There was a silence and the gate began to rise. Sousuke saw a nice looking woman step out and consider him. She definitely didn't belong to the previous voice, but she did have some authority. She sized up Kaname and Sousuke with a frown. "We may or may not have room for you. But everyone here carries their own weight."

"Understood," said Sousuke.

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. "You can shoot. Can you run?"

"… Yes?"

"I'm talking long distances. Hours at a time."

"I can run," Sousuke affirmed.

She turned her gaze to Kaname. "What about you?"

"I'm with Sousuke."

"How nice for you. Can you run?"

Kaname hesitated. "I could. I really can't so much right now."

The woman frowned more deeply. "I don't think we can help you."

Sousuke felt his temper rising. He knew he shouldn't yell at someone who was just trying to survive, but so were they!

Kaname cut him off before he lost his cool. "But I can cook. I'm really good. And I know how to cook for big groups."

The woman considered Kaname's words. Then she nodded slowly. "I'm Eri Kagurazaka. Come in."

They had only taken three steps inside before they were approached by two other men, one older and one near their own age.

"Please give us your weapons, ammo, and any food that you have," the older man requested. "We need them for the good of the entire settlement."

Sousuke and Kaname didn't argue. Sousuke handed over the M16, all of his ammo, his baton, and what was left of his rations. Kaname handed her bat over with a scowl, but silently emptied her pack of the food and water she carried.

"Is this it?" Ms. Kagurazaka asked.

"Yes," Kaname answered.

"And you said you're a couple, yes?"

Sousuke noticed Kaname's blush, but she answered, "Yes."

"Good," said the younger man. "Couples share a cot. No exceptions. And we have an open bed, so you two are in luck."

At this information, Sousuke felt his own cheeks coloring. He hadn't anticipated this happening.

"It's late," said Ms. Kagurazaka. "Tonight, just join us at the fire and meet some people. Tomorrow, meet with Hiyashimizu to get your job assignments," she said, indicating the younger man.

"Yes ma'am," said Sousuke.

"Are you military?" Hiyashimizu asked Sousuke as he led them through the former school's large courtyard. The school was three stories tall had been built in the shape of a squared off "U" with classroom buildings surrounding the athletic grounds that included the track, baseball, and soccer fields.

"Negative. But I've had some training."

"Good. Meet me after dinner. I'll show you to your cot."

Kaname and Sousuke thanked him and walked over to the area where several campfires were burning. They surveyed the area. One of the fires only had two people next to it and they appeared to be the same age as Sousuke and Kaname.

"Do you mind if we sit?" Kaname asked.

The two, a young man and woman, looked up and nodded eagerly.

"Are you new?" asked the young man, pushing up his glasses on his nose.

"Yeah," said Kaname with an easy smile.

"We kind of are, too," said the girl, mirroring Kaname's smile. "I'm Kyouko. That's Shinji." He gave a small wave.

"Kaname," said Kaname, then gestured at Sousuke, "He's Sousuke. Where are you from?"

"We went to Western University. I was a first year nursing student, he was in computer engineering. We shared a math class and were studying in the cafeteria when everything happened. We and some others managed to bar the doors and stay there for weeks and weeks. Then the food ran out so me and Shinji found our way here."

"Wow," said Kaname, obviously impressed.

They all settled down around the fire and talking came easy to Kaname. Sousuke was glad for that. She was always good with people and she never got much of a chance to interact with them on the Chidori compound.

"Where are you two from?" asked Shinji.

"We're not from the city," said Sousuke.

"Yeah, we thought we could stay at the water treatment plant, but it turns out we were wrong. We were directed here." Kaname shrugged.

"Well that's good, then," said Kyouko brightly. "We only got here a couple of days ago and we don't really know anyone really well. I was kind of hoping that these evenings around these campfires, they burn the garbage every night, would be more like camp where we told scary stories. But people here stay kind of quiet."

"I don't know if we need any more scary stories with those things prowling around out there, trying to eat our brains," said Shinji with a shiver.

Kaname laughed. "Well, that's true! Maybe we should tell happy stories, instead."

"Or funny stories," said Shinji in agreement.

"Does anyone have a funny story?" asked Kaname. There was a long silence. "It's been so long, I don't know if I remember any…"

"Oh, I have one," said Kyouko. "It's a little… naughty though."

"Tell it Tokiwa!" said Shinji. "I could definitely use a laugh.

Sousuke thought that they all did. He found that he instantly liked both Shinji and Kyouko and it appeared that Kaname did, too. They were finally finding a bit of good luck in all of the recent horror.

"Okay," said Kyouko. "Don't say I didn't warn you, though."

"Ha! This should be good. Kyouko has the best stories," Shinji informed Sousuke.

"Okay, this happened last semester. Our dorms are set up as suites. We have two people per room and two rooms share a bathroom between them. My roommate was… difficult."

Shinji nodded knowingly at that. "Yeah, she would just stare at the fish in her aquarium for hours, rocking. She said it was her therapy."

Kaname giggled. Sousuke smiled at the sound.

"Well, our suitemates were big partiers. They thought my roommate was weird and they thought I was weird by association, so they never invited us over when they had their parties."

"Oh no," said Kaname with some sympathy.

"Oh, it's fine. They were awful anyway. I had better things to do. It just got annoying because they were pretty loud and it would go on well into the night. But we just locked our side of the bathroom door and wore earplugs."

Kyouko took a sip of water, then looked away from the fire into the darkening sky.

"Anyway, this particular Friday night, the suitemates were at it again. Loud music. Drunk people. The usual. We just ignored it like we always did. I fell asleep around midnight. I woke up at around 3AM and had to pee. I couldn't hear anything from next door and I figured the party was over and it was safe to go into our shared bathroom." Kyouko took a breath. "I was wrong."

This made Shinji laugh. Kaname wore an expression that made it clear she was anticipating being shocked. Her mouth was forming an "O" and her hand was pressed to her heart.

"So I went in the bathroom. I thought I was doing everyone a favor by not turning on the light!"

This made Kaname unleash a torrent of giggles.

"Well, I step into the bathroom and, the next thing I knew, I was slipping on something wet and I fell back and banged my head on the door. It hurt! So I got up and turned on the light…"

"Oh, no," breathed Kaname, her hand inching up to her mouth.

"And I saw this guy on the floor, passed out."

"Ugh! Did he barf?" asked Shinji, both grossed out and delighted with the story.

"I wish!" Kyouko's face was reddening, but she continued with the story. Even Sousuke found himself on the edge of his seat, needing to know what happened next.

"It appeared that he had passed out after he had… pleasured himself. And I stepped in… yugh" Kyouko couldn't finish the sentence.

Kaname squealed in disgust and then lost herself in giggles. Sousuke knew his own face was screwed into some awful horrified expression.

Kyouko was giggling, herself. "And _it_ was still out!" she blurted.

"_It_?" asked Kaname, utterly scandalized.

"Was out!" said Kyouko, causing everyone to double over in laughter. Sousuke couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard. He even felt tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. They all laughed long and hard until they were reduced to mere whimpers.

Kyouko broke the small silence that followed. "And my foot itched the whole next day," she with a pathetic tone in her voice. Everyone lost themselves in laughter once again.

TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

Author's Note 1: This chapter was written to fill the "shiver" prompt in LuxKen27's Summer Mini Challenge.

AN2: FYI, the story at the end happened to a friend of mine in college. There is a bit of a Seinfeld exchange, but let me assure you, it was a direct quote from when she told the story to our group of friends.


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